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DEAD    MAN'S    LOVE. 


DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE 


BY 

TOM     GALLON 

Author  of  "Tatterley,"    "  Jar  wick  the  Prodigal,"  "Tinman,"   etc. 


B  RENT  ANO'S 

5TH  AVENOE,   AND  27TH   STREET 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


CONTENTS. 


I. — I  Come  to  the  Surface  of  Things 
II. — I  AM  Hanged— AND  Done  For 

III. — The  Missing  Man        

IV.— A  Little  White  Ghost 
V. — I  am  Drawn  from  the  Grave 
VI.  — I  Behave  Disgracefully     ... 
VII. — In  the  Camp  of  the  Enemy 

VIII.—Misery's  Bedfellow 

IX. — A  Shooting  Party      

X. — I  Touch  the  Skirts  of  Happiness 
XL— Uncle  Zabdiel  in  Pious  Mood 
XIL— An  Appointment  with  Death 

XIIL— "That's  the  Man!  " 

XIV. — William  Capper  Comes  to  Life 
XV. — I  Bid  the  Doctor  Farewell 
3^VI. — The  Boy  with  the  Long  Curls 


9 
29 

49 
68 
89 
109 
129 
150 
169 
189 
209 
228 
248 
267 
286 
3o§ 


2135S50 


DEAD  MAN'S    LOVE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

I  COME  TO  THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS. 

I  CAME  out  of  Penthouse  Prison  on  a  certain  Monday 
morning  in  May.  Let  there  be  no  misunderstanding 
about  it  ;  I  came  out  by  way  of  the  roof.  And  the 
time  was  four  in  the  morning  ;  I  heard  the  big  clock 
over  the  entrance  gates  chime  in  a  dull,  heavy,  sleepy 
fashion  as  I  lay  crouched  on  the  roof  under  shadow 
of  the  big  tower  at  the  north  end,  and  looked 
about  me. 

Looking  back  at  it  now,  it  seems  like  a  dream,  and 
even  then  I  could  not  realise  exactly  how  it  had 
happened.  All  I  know  is  that  there  had  been  an 
alarm  of  fire  earlier  in  the  night,  and  a  great  running 
to  and  fro  of  warders,  and  a  battering  at  doors  by 
frantic  locked-in  men,  with  oaths,  and  threats,  ana 
shrieks.  The  smell  of  burning  wood  had  reached  my 
nostrils,  and  little  whiffs  and  wreaths  of  smoke  had 
drifted  in  through  the  ventilator  in  my  door,  before 
that  door  was  opened,  and  I  found  myself  huddled 
outside  in  the  long  corridor  with  other  fellow-captives. 
And  at  that  time  I  had  not  thought  of  escaping  at 
all,  probably  from  the  fact  that  I  was  too  frightened 
to  do  anything  but  obey  orders. 

But  it  came  about  that, even  in  that  well-conducted 


10  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

prison,  something  had  gone  wrong  with  the  fire-hose  ; 
and  it  became  a  matter  of  a  great  passing  of  buckets 
from  hand  to  hand,  and  I,  as  a  trusted  prisoner,  and 
a  model  one,  too,  was  put  at  the  end  of  the  line  that 
was  the  least  guarded.  Smoke  was  all  about  me, 
and  I  could  only  see  the  faces  of  convicts  and  warders 
looming  at  me  through  the  haze,  indistinctly.  I 
handed  the  buckets  mechanically,  as  I  had  done 
everything  else  in  that  place  during  the  few  months 
I  had  been  there. 

I  heard  an  order  shouted  in  the  distance,  and  I 
lost  the  faces  that  had  seemed  to  be  so  near  to  me  ; 
the  fire  had  broken  out  in  a  fresh  place,  and  there  was 
a  sudden  call  for  help.  I  hesitated — the  last  of  the 
line  of  men — for  a  moment  ;  then  I  set  down  my 
bucket,  and  turned  in  the  opposite  direction  and  ran 
for  it.  I  knew  where  there  was  a  flight  of  stairs  ;  I 
guessed  that  one  particular  door  I  had  seen  but 
once  would  be  open  ;  the  rest  I  left  to  chance. 
With  my  heart  thumping  madly  I  fled  up  the 
stairs,  and  flung  myself  against  the  door ;  it 
yielded,  and  I  stumbled  through  on  to  the  roof 
of  the  prison. 

I  could  hear  down  below  me  a  great  hubbub,  but 
the  roar  of  the  flames  had  subsided  somewhat,  and  I 
knew  that  the  fire  had  been  conquered.  That  meant 
for  me  a  shorter  time  in  which  to  make  good  my 
escape.  I  went  slipping  and  sliding  along  the  roof, 
half  wishing  myself  back  inside  the  prison,  and  won- 
dering how  I  should  get  from  that  dizzy  height  to 
the  ground.  Fortunately  I  was  young,  and  fit,  and 
strong,  and  they  had  put  me  to  the  hardest  work  in 
the  prison  for  those  first  months,  thereby  hardening 
my  muscles  to  their  own  undoing ;  and  I  was  active 
as  a  cat.  After  lying  on  the  roof  for  what  seemed 
a  long  time — until,  in  fact,  the  hubbub  below  had 
almost  subsided  entirely — I  determined  that  I  could 
afford  to  wait  no  longer.     I  raised  my  head  where  I 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  it 

lay  and  peered  over  the  edge,  as  I  have  said,  just  as 
the  great  clock  struck  four. 

I  looked  straight  into  the  open  mouth  of  a  rain- 
water pipe  a  few  inches  below  me.  It  was  almost 
full  daylight  by  this  time,  but  a  hazy,  misty  morning. 
I  worked  my  way  to  the  very  edge  of  the  roof,  and 
lay  along  it ;  then  I  got  my  arms  over  the  edge  and 
gripped  the  broad  top  of  the  pipe.  There  could  be 
no  half  measures  about  such  a  matter  ;  I  threw  myself 
over  bodily,  and  dropped  to  the  stretch  of  my  arms, 
and  hung  there.  Then  I  quickly  lowered  one  hand 
and  gripped  the  smooth,  round  pipe,  and  began  to 
slide  down.  I  remember  wondering  if  by  some 
fatality  I  should  drop  into  the  arms  of  an  expectant 
warder. 

But  that  didn't  happen.  I  reached  the  ground  in 
safety  and  crouched  there,  waiting  ;  there  was  still 
the  outer  wall  to  scale.  In  that  I  was  less  fortunate, 
for  although  in  the  grey  light  I  made  the  circuit  of  it 
inside  twice  over,  I  failed  to  discover  anything  by 
which  I  could  mount.  But  at  last  I  came  upon  a  shed 
that  was  used  for  storing  the  oakum,  picked  and  un- 
picked ;  it  had  a  heavy  padlock  on  the  wooden  door, 
and  the  roof  of  the  shed  inclined  at  an  angle  against 
the  high  wall.  It  was  my  only  chance,  and  there 
was  but  one  way  to  do  it. 

I  stepped  back  a  few  paces,  and  took  a  running 
leap  for  the  edge  of  the  roof,  jumping  for  the  padlock. 
I  tried  three  times,  and  the  third  time  I  got  my  foot 
upon  the  padlock,  and  caught  the  gutter  with  my 
hands.  Exerting  all  my  strength,  I  drew  myself  up 
until  I  lay  flat  upon  the  shelving  roof  of  the  shed, 
scrambled  up  that,  and  stood  upright  against  the 
outer  wall,  with  the  topmost  stones  about  a  foot  above 
the  reach  of  my  hands. 

That  was  the  most  ticklish  work  of  all,  because 
the  first  time  I  tried  to  make  a  jump  for  the  top  of 
the  wall  I  slipped,  and  nearly  rolled  off  the  sloping 


12  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

roof  altogether.  The  second  time  I  was  more  suc- 
cessful, and  I  got  my  fingers  firmly  hitched  on  to  the 
top  of  the  wall.  I  hung  there  for  a  moment,  fully 
expecting  that  I  should  have  to  let  go  ;  but  I  heard  a 
shout — or  thought  I  heard  one — from  the  direction 
of  the  prison,  and  that  urged  me  on  as  nothing  else 
could  have  done.  I  drew  myself  up  until  I  lay  flat 
on  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  then  I  rolled  over  into 
freedom. 

Incidentally  in  my  hurry  I  rolled  over  on  to  a 
particularly  hard  road,  without  much  care  how  I  fell. 
I  picked  myself  up  and  looked  about  me,  and  began 
for  the  first  time  to  realise  my  desperate  situation. 
What  earthly  chance  was  there  for  me,  clad  as  I  was 
in  convict  garb,  in  a  wild  country  place,  at  some- 
thing after  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  ?  I  was 
branded  before  all  men  ;  I  was  a  pariah,  to  be 
captured  by  hook  or  by  crook  ;  the  hand  of  the 
meanest  thing  I  might  meet  would  legitimately  be 
against  me. 

But  then  I  was  only  five-and-twenty,  and  the 
coming  day  had  in  it  a  promise  of  sweetness  and  of 
beauty — and  I  was  free  !  Even  while  I  cast  about  in 
my  mind  to  know  what  I  should  do,  I  know  that  I 
rejoiced  in  my  strength  and  in  my  young  manhood  ; 
I  know  that  I  could  have  grappled  almost  gleefully 
with  any  adverse  fate  that  might  have  risen  up 
against  me.  But  I  recognised  that  the  first  thing  to 
do  would  be  to  make  for  cover  of  some  kind,  until  I 
could  make  shift  to  get  a  change  of  clothing,  or  to 
decide  after  my  hurried  flight  what  the  next  move 
was  to  be. 

After  going  some  little  way  I  dropped  down  into  a 
ditch,  and  looked  back  at  the  prison.  It  stood  up 
grim  and  silent  against  the  morning  sky,  and  there 
was  now  no  sign  of  any  disturbance  about  it.  Evi- 
dently for  the  present  I  had  not  beeij  missed  ;  only 
later  would  come  a  mustering  of  the  prisoners,  and 


THE   SURFACE  OF  THINGS,  13 

my  number  would  be  called,  and  there  would  be  no 
answer.  That  gave  me  time,  but  not  time  enough. 
I  determined  to  make  my  way  across  country  as 
quickly  as  I  could  before  the  world  was  astir,  and  so 
put  as  great  a  distance  as  possible  between  myself 
and  the  prison. 

But  by  the  time  I  had  run  a  few  miles,  and  could 
see  in  the  near  distance  the  roofs  of  cottages,  I  began 
to  realise  that  in  the  country  people  have  a  bad 
habit  of  rising  at  a  most  unearthly  hour.  It  was  but 
little  after  five  o'clock,  and  yet  already  smoke  was 
coming  from  cottage  chimneys  ;  more  than  once  I  had 
a  narrow  squeak  of  it,  in  coming  almost  face  to  face 
with  some  labourer  trudging  early  to  his  work  in  the 
fields.  Daylight  was  not  my  time,  it  was  evident ;  I 
must  wait  for  the  friendly  darkness,  even  though 
I  waited  hungry. 

The  record  of  a  great  part  of  that  day  is  easily  set 
down.  I  lay  perdu  in  a  little  wood,  where,  by  raising 
my  head,  I  could  see  out  on  to  the  broad  highway 
that  was  presently  in  some  indefinite  fashion  to  set 
me  on  the  greater  road  for  freedom.  All  day  long  the 
sun  blazed  down  on  that  road,  and  all  day  long  from 
my  hiding-place  I  watched  vehicles  and  pedestrians 
passing  to  and  fro  ;  I  had  much  time  for  thought. 
Once  some  little  children  toddled  down  hand-in-hand 
into  the  wood,  and  began  to  pick  flowers  near  where 
I  lay  hidden  ;  that  was  the  first  sight  of  anything 
beautiful  I  had  had  for  a  good  long  time,  as  you 
shall  presently  understand.  Despite  the  danger  to 
myself,  if  they  should  have  seen  me  and  raised  any 
alarm,  I  was  sorry  enough  when  they  toddled  away 
again. 

There  was  so  much  to  be  thought  about,  as  I  lay 
there  on  my  face,  plucking  at  the  cool  green  grasses, 
and  drinking  in  the  beauty  of  the  wood.  For  I  was 
but  five-and-twenty,  and  yet  had  never  known  really 
what  life  was  hke.     T  had  been  shut  away  all  my 


14  L>EAt)  MAN'S  LOVE. 

days  in  a  prison,  almost  as  grim  and  as  bad  as  that 
from  which  I  had  this  day  escaped  ;  and  I  had  left  it 
for  that  greater  prison  where  they  branded  men  and 
set  them  to  toil  like  beasts. 

My  earliest  recollections  had  been  of  my  uncle — 
Zabdiel  Blowheld.  I  seemed  to  have  a  vision  of  him 
when  I  was  very,  very  small,  and  when  I  lay  quaking 
in  a  big  bed  in  a  horrible  great  room,  bending  over 
me,  and  flaring  a  candle  at  me,  as  though  with  the 
amiable  intention  of  starting  my  night's  rest  well 
with  a  personal  nightmare.  Uncle  Zabdiel  had 
brought  me  up.  It  seems  that  I  was  left  on  his  hands 
wlien  I  was  a  mere  child  ;  I  easily  developed  and 
degenerated  into  his  slave.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  I 
knew  no  more  of  the  world  than  a  baby  of  fourteen 
months,  and  what  smattering  of  education  I  had  had 
was  pressed  then  into  my  uncle's  service  ;  I  became 
his  clerk. 

He  lived  in  a  great  house  near  Bamet,  and  from 
there  he  conducted  his  business.  It  was  a  paying 
business,  and  although  I  touched  at  first  only  the 
fringe  of  it,  I  came  to  understand  that  Zabdiel 
Blowheld  was  something  of  a  human  spider,  gathering 
into  his  clutches  any  number  of  fools  who  had  money 
to  lose,  together  with  others  who  wanted  money,  and 
were  prepared  to  pay  a  price  for  it.  He  taught  me 
his  business,  or  j  ust  so  much  of  it  as  should  make  me 
useful  in  the  drudgery  of  it ;  and,  as  it  happened,  he 
taught  me  too  much. 

I  had  ten  years  of  that  slavery — ten  years,  during 
which  I  grew  to  manhood,  and  to  strength  and 
vigour.  For  while  he  thought  he  suppressed  me,  and 
while,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  half-starved  me,  and 
dressed  me  in  his  own  cast-off  clothing,  and  kept  my 
young  nose  to  the  grindstone  of  his  business,  I  con- 
trived, within  the  last  year  or  so  at  least,  to  lead 
something  of  a  double  life.  I  was  young,  and  that 
alone  shall  plead  my  excuse.     If  another  excuse  were 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  15 

wanted,  it  might  be  summed  up  in  this  :  that  the 
world  called  me — that  world  that  was  a  glorious 
uncertainty,  of  which  I  knew  nothing  and  longed  to 
know  a  great  deal. 

Uncle  Zabdiel  regarded  me  as  very  much  of  a  poor 
fool ;  it  never  entered  into  his  head  for  a  moment  to 
suspect  the  machine  he  had  taught  to  do  certain 
mechanical  things.  But  I,  who  never  had  a  penny 
for  my  own,  constantly  had  gold  passing  through  my 
fingers,  and  gold  spelt  a  way  out  into  the  great 
world.  I  was  tempted,  and  I  fell ;  it  was  quite  easy 
to  alter  the  books. 

I  had  two  years  of  it.  They  were  two  years  during 
which  I  worked  as  hard  as  ever  during  the  day,  and 
escaped  from  that  prison  when  darkness  had  fallen. 
I  always  contrived  to  get  back  before  the  dawn,  or 
before  my  uncle  had  come  into  the  place  he  called  his 
office  ;  and  by  that  time  I  had  changed  back  into  the 
shabby,  apparently  broken,  creature  he  knew  for  his 
slave.  For  the  rest  I  did  nothing  very  vicious  ;  but  I 
saw  something  of  the  world  outside,  and  I  spent  what 
I  could  get  of  my  uncle's  money. 

The  blow  fell,  as  I  might  have  expected — and  that, 
too,  by  the  merest  chance.  I  had  grown  reckless  ; 
there  seemed  no  possibility  of  my  being  found  out. 
But  my  Uncle  Zabdiel  happened  to  light  upon  a  some- 
thing that  made  him  suspicious,  and  from  that  he 
went  to  something  else.  Without  saying  a  word  to 
me,  he  must  have  unwound  the  tangle  slowly  bit 
by  bit,  until  it  stood  out  before  him  clearly  ;  and 
then  he  took  to  watching. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  morning  when  he  caught 
me.  I  got  into  my  accustomed  window,  in  those 
gayer  clothes  I  affected  in  my  brief  holidays,  and  I 
came  face  to  face  with  the  old  man  in  my  room.  He 
was  sitting  on  the  side  of  the  bed,  with  his  black 
skull-cap  thrust  on  the  back  of  his  head,  and  with  his 
ptiin  resting  on  Y\is  stick  ;  and  fpr  a  Ipng  time  q,fter  J 


i6  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

knew  the  game  was  up  he  neither  spoke  nor  moved. 
As  for  me,  I  had  had  my  good  time,  and  I  simply 
wondered  in  a  dull  fashion  what  he  was  going  to  do. 

"  You  needn't  say  anything,  Norton  Hyde,"  said 
Uncle  Zabdiel  at  last.  "  I  know  quite  as  much  as 
you  can  tell  me,  and  perhaps  a  Uttle  more.  You're 
an  ungrateful  dog,  and  like  other  ungrateful  dogs  you 
shall  be  punished." 

"  I  wanted  to  hve  like  other  men,"  I  said  sullenly. 

"  Haven't  I  fed  you,  lodged  you,  looked  after 
you  ?  "  he  snapped  out.  "  Where  would  you  have 
been,  but  for  me  ?  " 

"  I  might  have  been  a  better  man,"  I  answered 
him.  "  I've  slaved  for  you  for  ten  long  years,  and 
you've  done  your  best  to  starve  me,  body  and  soul. 
I've  taken  your  money,  but  it  isn't  as  much  as  you'd 
have  had  to  pay  me  in  those  ten  years,  if  I'd  been 
some  poor  devil  of  a  clerk  independent  of  you  !  " 

"  We  won't  bandy  words,"  said  my  uncle,  getting 
up  from  my  bed.  "Go  to  bed  ;  I'll  decide  what  to 
do  with  you  in  the  morning." 

Now,  wisely  speaking,  of  course,  I  ought  to  have 
made  good  my  escape  that  night.  But  there  was  a 
certain  bravado  in  me — a  certain  feeling,  however 
wrong,  that  I  was  justified  to  an  extent  in  what  I 
had  done — for  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire. 
So  I  went  to  bed,  and  awaited  the  morning 
with  what  confidence  I  could.  Being  young,  I  slept 
soundly. 

I  was  the  only  living  relative  of  Zabdiel  Blowfield, 
and  one  would  have  thought — one,  at  least,  who  did 
not  know  him — that  he  would  have  shown  some 
mercy.  But  mercy  was  not  in  his  nature,  and  I  had 
wounded  the  man  in  that  tenderest  part  of  him — the 
pocket.  Incredible  as  it  may  seem,  I  was  handed 
over  to  justice  on  a  charge  of  forgery  and  falsification 
of  books,  and  in  due  course  I  stood  my  trial,  with  my 
uncle  as  the  chief  witness  against  me, 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  17 

Uncle  Zabdiel  made  a  very  excellent  witness,  too, 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  prosecution.  I — 
Norton  Hyde — stood  in  the  dock,  I  flatter  myself, 
rather  a  fine  figure  of  a  young  man,  tall,  and  straight, 
and  dark-haired  ;  the  prosecutor — and  a  reluctant  one 
at  that — stood  bowed,  and  old,  and  trembhng,  and 
told  the  story  of  my  ingratitude.  He  had  brought  me 
up,  and  he  had  educated  me  ;  he  had  fed,  and  clothed, 
and  lodged  me  ;  but  for  him  I  must  have  died 
ignominiously  long  before.  And  I  had  robbed 
him,  and  had  spent  his  money  in  riotous  living. 
He  wept  while  he  told  the  tale,  for  the  loss  of 
the  money  was  a  greater  thing  than  most  men 
would   suppose. 

The  limb  of  the  law  he  had  retained  for  the  prose- 
cution had  a  separate  cut  at  me  on  his  account. 
According  to  that  gentleman  I  was  a  monster  ;  I 
would  have  robbed  a  church  ;  there  was  scarcely  any 
crime  in  the  calendar  of  which  I  would  not  have  been 
capable.  It  was  plainly  suggested  that  the  best  thing 
that  could  happen  to  society  would  be  to  get  me  out 
of  the  way  for  as  many  years  as  possible. 

The  judge  took  up  the  case  on  something  of  the 
same  lines.  He  preached  a  neat  little  sermon  on  the 
sin  of  ingratitude,  and  incidentally  wondered  what 
the  youth  of  the  country  were  coming  to  in  these 
degenerate  days  ;  he  left  me  with  confidence  to  a  jury 
of  respectable  citizens,  who  were,  I  was  convinced, 
every  man  Jack  of  them,  fathers  of  families.  I  was 
doomed  from  the  beginning,  and  I  refused  to  say 
anything  in  my  own  defence. 

So  they  packed  me  off  quietly  out  of  the  way  for 
ten  years  ;  and  Uncle  Zabdiel,  I  have  no  doubt,  went 
back  to  his  old  house,  and  thereafter  engaged  a  clerk 
at  a  starvation  wage,  and  kept  a  pretty  close  eye 
upon  him.  I  only  know  that,  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, he  sidled  up  to  me  as  I  was  lea\'ing  the  dock, 
and  whispered,  with  a  leer— 

B 


i8  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  You'll  come  out  a  better  man,  Norton — a  very 
much  better  man." 

Perhaps  I  had  not  realised  the  tragedy  of  the 
business  at  that  time,  for  it  must  be  understood  that  I 
had  not  in  any  sense  of  the  word  lived.  Such  small 
excursions  as  I  had  made  into  life  had  been  but  mere 
dippings  into  the  great  sea  of  it  ;  of  life  itself  I  knew 
nothing.  And  now  they  were  to  shut  me  away  for 
ten  years — or  a  little  less,  if  I  behaved  myself  with 
decorum — and  after  that  I  was  to  be  given  an 
opportunity  to  make  a  real  start,  if  the  gods  were 
kind  to  me. 

However,  it  is  fair  to  say  that  up  to  the  actual 
moment  of  my  escape  from  Penthouse  Prison  I  had 
accepted  my  fate  with  some  measure  of  resignation. 
I  had  enough  to  eat,  and  work  for  my  hands,  and  I 
slept  well ;  in  that  sense  I  was  a  young  and  healthy 
animal,  with  a  past  that  had  not  been  interesting,  and 
a  future  about  which  I  did  not  care  to  think.  But  as 
I  lay  in  the  wood  all  that  long  day  better  thoughts 
came  to  me  ;  I  had  hopes  and  desires  such  as  I  had 
not  had  before.  I  saw  in  a  mental  vision  sweet 
country  places,  and  fair  homes,  and  decent  men  and 
women  ;  I  was  to  meet  and  touch  them  all  some  day, 
when  I  had  worked  myself  out  of  this  present  tangle. 
Alas  !  I  did  not  then  know  how  much  I  was  to  go 
through  first ! 

I  had  lain  so  long,  with  but  the  smallest  idea  of 
where  I  actually  was,  and  with  a  ravening  hunger 
upon  me,  that  I  had  actually  seen  men  returning  from 
their  work  to  their  homes  in  the  late  afternoon  before 
I  bestirred  myself  to  think  of  what  I  was  to  do. 
More  than  once,  as  I  lay  there,  I  had  seen,  speeding 
along  the  great  road  above  me,  motor-cars  that  anni- 
hilated space,  and  were  gone  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  I 
had  a  ridiculous  feeling  that  if  I  were  nimble  enough 
I  might  manage  to  board  one  of  those,  and  so  get 
away  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit.     For  always  the 


THE  SURFACE   OF  THINGS.  19 

great  prison  menaced  me,  standing  as  it  did  within  a 
mile  or  two  of  where  I  lay.  I  knew  that  the  pursuit 
must  already  have  started  ;  I  wondered  that  I  had 
not  yet  seen  a  warder. 

And  then  came  deliverance.  You  may  say  it  was 
miraculous,  if  you  will ;  I  can  only  set  down  here  the 
fact  as  it  happened.  I  saw  in  the  distance,  winding 
down  a  long  hill,  a  grey  monster  scarcely  darker  than 
the  road  over  which  it  swept,  and  I  knew  without  the 
telling  that  the  grey  monster  was  a  racing  car.  As 
it  drew  nearer  I  saw  that  it  had  a  sharpened  front 
like  an  inverted  boat,  and  behind  that  sharpened 
front  crouched  a  man,  with  his  hands  upon  the  wheel 
and  his  face  masked  by  hideous  goggles.  He  swept 
down  towards  the  place  where  I  lay  at  a  terrific  pace, 
and,  half  in  wonder  at  the  sight,  and  half  fascinated 
by  it,  I  drew  myself  forward  through  the  bushes  until 
I  lay  at  the  very  side  of  the  road,  with  my  chin  up- 
lifted and  my  face  literally  peering  through  the 
hedge. 

The  grey  monster  came  on  and  on,  and  the  curious 
thing  was  that  it  slackened  speed  a  little  as  it  got 
near  to  me,  so  that  I  saw  the  dusty  outlines  of  it, 
and  the  great  bulk  of  it  set  low  between  its  wheels, 
and  caught  the  sound  of  its  sobbing  breath.  And 
then  it  stopped  at  the  side  of  the  road,  so  near  to  me 
that  I  could  almost  have  stretched  out  a  hand  and 
touched  the  nearest  wheel. 

The  man  got  down  stiffly  out  of  his  seat,  and  thrust 
the  goggles  up  over  his  cap  and  began  to  pull  off  his 
driving-gloves.  Something  had  gone  wrong  with  the 
monster,  and  I  heard  the  man  heave  a  quick  sigh  as 
he  bent  down  to  examine  the  machinery.  For  a 
little  time  his  head  disappeared  among  the  works, 
and  then,  with  a  grunt  of  relief,  he  straightened  him- 
self and  began  pulling  on  his  gloves ;  and  so,  by  a 
miracle,  turning  his  head  a  little,  looked  down  into 
my  upturned  face. 


20  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

He  was  a  youngish  man  with  a  thin,  keen,  shaven 
face,  tight-lipped  and  clear-eyed.  He  had  on  a  long 
grey  coat,  buttoned  close  about  him,  and  his  appear- 
ance, with  the  cap  drawn  down  over  his  ears  and  the 
goggles  set  on  the  front  of  it,  was  not  altogether 
prepossessing.  But  the  man  looked  a  sportsman,  and 
somehow  or  other  I  was  attracted  to  him.  Scarcely 
knowing  what  I  did,  I  glanced  to  right  and  left 
along  the  road,  and  then  rose  to  my  feet  in  the 
ditch. 

He  gave  a  low  whistle,  and  nodded  slowly,  finished 
puUing  on  his  gloves,  and  set  his  gloved  hands 
against  his  sides.  "  Hullo,  my  friend,"  he  said  at 
last,  "  I  heard  about  you  on  the  hill  up  yonder. 
You're  wanted  badly." 

"  I  know  that,"  I  said  huskily,  for  my  throat  was 
dry,  ahke  from  thirst  and  from  a  new  fear  that  had 
spnmg  up  in  me.  "  Perhaps  you'd  like  to  drive  me 
back  to  meet  them." 

"  If  you're  anxious,"  he  retorted,  with  a  laugh. 
"  Only  it  happens  tliat  I'm  not  that  sort.  It 
would  be  playing  it  rather  low  down  to  do  that, 
wouldn't  it  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so,"  I  said,  answering  his 
laugh  with  another  that  had  something  of  a  sob 
in  it. 

"  What's  your  particular  crime  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  Murder  ?  " 

"  Nothing  half  so  bad  as  that,"  I  answered  him. 
"  I  stole  some  money,  and  had  a  good  time  ;  now  I've 
been  paying  the  penalty.  I've  done  nearly  one  out 
of  my  ten  years." 

He  turned  away  abruptly,  and  I  heard  him  mutter 
something  which  sounded  like  "  Poor  devil !  "  but  I 
would  not  be  sure  of  that.  Then,  after  bending  for  a 
moment  again  over  his  car,  he  said,  without  looking 
up  at  me,  "  I  take  it  you'd  like  to  get  out  of  this  part 
of  the  country,  if  possible  ?  " 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  21 

"  Anywhere  !  "  I  exclaimed,  in  a  shaking  whisper. 
"  I  only  want  a  chance." 

He  looked  along  the  lines  of  the  grey  monster,  and 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  machine  affectionately. 
"  Then  you  can't  do  better  than  travel  with  me,"  he 
said.  "  I  can  swing  you  along  at  a  pace  that'll 
knock  the  breath  out  of  you  if  you're  not  used  to  it, 
and  I  can  drop  you  a  hundred  miles  or  so  along  the 
road.  There's  no  one  in  sight ;  get  in.  Here's  a 
spare  pair  of  goggles." 

I  adjusted  the  goggles  with  a  shaking  hand,  and 
tried  to  thank  him.  He  had  tossed  a  short  grey  coat 
to  me,  and  that  I  put  about  my  shoulders.  Almost 
before  I  was  in  the  seat  beside  him  the  grey  car 
began  to  move,  and  then  I  saw  the  landscape  slipping 
past  us  in  two  streaks.  I  tried  once  or  twice  to 
speak,  but  the  words  were  driven  back  into  my 
mouth,  and  I  could  not  get  anything  articulate 
out. 

My  recollection  of  that  journey  is  dim  and  obscure. 
I  only  know  that  now  and  then,  as  we  flew  along, 
the  man  jerked  out  questions  at  me,  and  so  discovered 
that  I  had  had  nothing  to  eat  all  day,  and  was 
practically  famished.  He  slowed  down  the  car  and 
showed  me  where,  in  a  tin  case  under  my  feet,  were 
some  sandwiches  and  a  flask  ;  and  I  took  in  sand- 
wiches and  dust  gratefully  enough  for  the  next  few 
miles,  and  gulped  down  a  little  out  of  the  flask.  The 
houses  were  beginning  to  be  more  frequent,  and  we 
met  more  vehicles  on  the  road,  when  presently  he 
slowed  down  to  light  his  lamps. 

"  At  what  particular  spot  would  you  like  to  be 
dropped  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  came  round  my  side  of 
the  car  and  bent  down  over  the  lamp  there.  "  Choose 
for  yourself." 

I  told  him  I  hardly  knew  ;  I  think  then,  for  the  first 
time,  I  realised  that  I  was  in  as  bad  a  case  as  ever, 
and  that,  save  for  my  short  coat  and  the  goggles,  I 


22  Dead  man's  love. 

was  clad  exactly  as  when  I  had  dropped  over  my 
prison  wall.  I  think  I  told  him  that  all  places  were 
alike  to  me,  and  that  I  would  leave  it  to  him. 

So  we  went  on  again  at  a  diminishing  speed,  with 
the  motor  horn  sounding  continuously ;  flashed 
through  an  outlying  village  or  two,  until  I  saw,  some- 
thing to  my  horror,  that  the  man  was  drawing  into 
London.  I  turned  to  him  to  protest,  but  he  smiled 
and  shook  his  head. 

"  Don't  you  worry  ;  I'm  going  to  see  you  through 
this — just  for  the  sport  of  the  thing,"  he  said,  raising 
his  voice  to  a  shout,  so  that  he  might  be  heard  above 
the  roar  of  the  flying  wheels.  "  I'm  going  to  take 
you  slap  through  London  to  my  place,  and  I'm  going 
to  give  you  a  change  of  clothes  and  some  food. 
To-morrow,  if  you  like,  I'll  whack  you  down  to  the 
coast,  and  ship  you  off  somewhere.  You're  as  safe  as 
houses  with  me  ;  I've  taken  an  interest  in  you." 

I  could  only  sit  still,  and  wonder  what  good 
providence  had  suddenly  tossed  this  man  into  my 
world  to  do  this  thing  for  me.  I  could  have  kissed 
his  hands  ;  I  could  have  worshipped  him,  as  one  might 
worship  a  god.  I  felt  that  my  troubles  were  over  ; 
for  the  first  time  in  all  my  life  I  had  someone  to  lean 
upon,  someone  willing  and  anxious  to  help  me. 

And  then  as  suddenly  the  whole  thing  came  to  an 
end.  We  had  got  through  a  village  in  safety,  and 
had  swung  at  a  terrific  pace  round  a  corner,  and  there 
was  a  huge  hay-waggon  in  the  very  middle  of  the 
road.  There  was  no  time  to  pull  up,  and  the  road  was 
too  narrow  to  allow  the  car  free  passage  on  either  side. 
I  heard  the  man  beside  me  give  a  gasp  as  he  bent  over 
his  wheel,  and  then  we  swerved  to  the  right,  and 
flew  up  the  bank  at  the  side  of  the  road,  in  a  mad 
endeavour  to  pass  the  waggon. 

We  shot  past  it  somehow,  and  I  thought  we  should 
drop  to  the  road  again  ;  instead,  the  car  continued 
up  the  bank,  seemed  to  hang  there  for  a  moment. 


THE   SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  23 

even  at  the  terrific  pace  we  were  going,  and  then 
began  to  turn  over.  I  say  began  to  turn  over  because 
in  that  fraction  of  a  second  events  seemed  to  take 
hours  to  finish.  I  know  I  jumped,  and  landed  all  in 
a  heap,  and  seemed  to  see,  as  I  fell,  the  car  before 
me  turning  over  ;  and  then  for  a  moment  or  two  I 
knew  nothing. 

When  I  recovered  consciousness  I  got  slowly  to  ray 
knees,  and  looked  about  me.  My  head  ached  fear- 
fully, but  I  seemed  to  have  no  very  great  injuries.  A 
dozen  yards  in  front  of  me  lay  the  grey  monster, 
with  three  wheels  left  to  it,  and  those  three  upreared 
helplessly  in  the  air.  My  friend  the  driver  I  could 
not  see  anywhere.  I  staggered  to  my  feet,  relieved  to 
find  that  I  could  walk,  and  went  forward  to  the  car ; 
and  there,  on  the  other  side  of  it,  lay  my  friend, 
doubled  up  and  unconscious.  He,  too,  seemed  to 
have  escaped  any  very  great  injury  as  by  a  miracle. 
I  straightened  him  out  and  touched  him  here  and 
there,  in  the  hope  to  discover  if  any  bones  were 
broken  ;  he  only  groaned  a  little,  and  even  that  sound 
was  cheering.     The  man  was  not  dead. 

I  had  no  thought  of  my  own  safety  until  I  heard 
the  rumble  of  wheels,  and  saw  the  cause  of  all  the 
disaster — that  hay- waggon — coming  towards  me. 
From  the  opposite  direction,  too,  I  heard  the  sharp 
toot-toot  of  a  motor  horn,  and  knew  that  help  was 
coming.  And  then,  for  the  first  time,  I  realised  that 
that  help  was  not  for  me,  and  that  I  must  not  remain 
where  I  was  a  moment  longer  :  for  if  my  situation  had 
been  bad  before,  it  was  now  truly  frightful.  I  was 
somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London — near 
to  a  northern  suburb — and  I  was  in  convict  garb, 
partially  concealed  by  a  short  grey  coat,  and  I  was 
hatless. 

Fortunately  for  me,  by  this  time  it  was  dark,  and  I 
had  only  seen  that  hay-waggon  looming  up,  as  it 
were,  against  the  evening  sky.     Knowing  that  my 


24  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

friend  must  soon  receive  better  help  than  I  could  give 
him,  I  decided  that  that  episode  in  my  life  at  least 
was  closed.  I  slipped  off  my  goggles  and  dropped 
them  beside  him  ;  then,  after  a  momentary  glance 
round,  I  decided  to  try  for  a  fence  at  one  side, 
opposite  that  bank  that  had  been  our  undoing.  It 
was  not  very  high,  just  within  reach  of  my  hands. 
I  made  a  jump  for  the  top  and  scrambled  over,  and 
dropped  among  some  undergrowth  on  the  further 
side  of  it. 

There  is  a  humorous  side  to  everything  ;  even  in 
my  plight  I  was  comf)elled  to  laugh  at  what  I  now 
saw  through  a  chink  in  the  fence.  I  peered  out  to 
see  what  became  of  my  friend,  and  as  I  did  so  I  saw 
that  another  motor-car  had  stopped  by  the  over- 
turned one,  and  that  the  driver  had  got  down. 
Greatly  to  my  reUef  I  saw  my  friend  sit  up  and  stare 
about  him  ;  even  saw  him  smile  a  little  ruefully  at  the 
sight  of  his  grey  monster  in  its  present  condition. 
And  then,  although  I  could  not  hear  what  he  said,  I 
saw  that  he  was  asking  questions  eagerly  about  me. 

For  he  had  lost  me  entirely  ;  it  was  evident  that 
the  poor  fellow  was  in  a  great  state  of  perplexity.  I 
sincerely  hope  that  some  day  he  may  read  these  lines, 
and  so  may  come  to  an  understanding  of  what 
happened  to  me  ;  I  heartily  wished,  as  I  looked 
through  the  fence  then,  that  I  could  have  relieved  his 
perplexity.  It  was  evident  that  after  his  accident  he 
was  not  at  all  sure  whether  he  had  left  me  on  the  road 
at  some  place  or  other,  or  whether  by  a  miracle  I 
had  been  in  some  fashion  snatched  off  the  earth,  and 
so  snatched  out  of  my  predicament.  As  I  feared, 
however,  that  he  and  the  other  man,  together  with 
the  driver  of  the  waggon,  might  begin  some  regular 
search  for  me,  I  decided  that  I  could  no  longer  remain 
where  I  was.  I  began  to  walk  away,  through  thick 
rank  grass  and  among' trees,  going  cautiously,  and 
wondering  where  I  was. 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  25 

In  truth  I  was  so  shaken  that  I  staggered  and 
swayed  a  httle  as  I  walked.  I  tried  to  get  my  ideas 
into  some  order,  that  I  might  make  myself  understand 
what  was  the  best  thing  for  me  to  do.  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  I  must  first  get  a  change  of  clothing  ; 
there  was  no  hope  for  me  unless  I  could  do  that.  By 
this  time  telegraph  wires  would  have  carried  messages 
to  all  parts  describing  me,  and  those  messages  would 
have  travelled  much  faster  even  than  that  unfor- 
tunate racing  car  by  which  I  had  come  so  far.  If 
I  could  break  into  a  house,  and  by  some  great  good 
chance  find  clothing  that  would  fit  me,  all  might  be 
well.  But  at  the  moment  I  stood  marked  and 
branded  for  all  men  to  discover. 

Somewhat  to  my  relief  and  also  to  my  dismay,  I 
found  presently  that  I  was  walking  in  the  grounds  of 
a  private  house.  I  came  upon  a  large  artificial  lake 
or  pond,  with  stone  seats  dotted  about  here  and  there 
near  the  margin  of  it  ;  the  stone  seats  were  green  and 
brown  with  moss  and  climbing  plants  that  had  been 
allowed  to  work  their  will  upon  them.  In  fact,  all 
the  grounds  had  a  neglected  appearance,  and  so  had 
the  house,  too,  when  presently  I  came  to  it.  I 
was  just  making  up  my  mind  which  was  the  best 
window  by  which  I  might  effect  an  entry,  when  I 
heard  voices  quite  near  to  me,  and  dropped  at  once 
on  an  instinct,  and  lay  still. 

The  two  figures,  I  now  discovered,  were  those  of  a 
man  and  woman,  standing  close  together  in  a  little 
clrnnp  of  trees.  They  had  been  so  still  that  I  had 
walked  almost  up  to  them,  and  might  indeed  have 
blundered  against  them  but  for  the  voices.  As  I  lay 
now  I  could  hear  distinctly  every  word  they  said. 
The  man  was  speaking. 

"  My  dear,  dear  little  friend,"  he  said,  "  you  know 
I  would  do  anything  in  all  the  world  to  help  you. 
You're  not  safe  here  ;  I  dread  that  man,  and  for  your 
sake  I  fear  him.     Why  don't  you  let  me  take  you 


26  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

away  from  this  dreadful  house  ?  You  know  I  would 
be  good  to  you." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,  Gregory,"  repHed  the  girl 
softly.  "  But  I  can't  make  up  my  mind — I  can't  be 
sure  of  myself.  I  can't  be  sure  even  that  I  love  you 
well  enough  to  let  you  take  care  of  me." 

"  But  you  don't  love  anyone  else  ?  "  he  pleaded. 
And  now,  for  the  first  time,  as  he  turned  his  head 
a  little,  I  saw  the  man's  face.  He  was  quite  young, 
and  I  noticed  that  he  was  tall,  and  big,  and  dark, 
of  about  the  same  style  and  appearance,  and  even 
of  the  same  age,  I  should  conjecture,  as  myself.  He 
was  holding  the  girl's  hands  and  looking  down  into 
her  eyes.  I  could  not  see  her  face  clearly,  but  I 
judged  her  to  be  small,  and  fair,  and  slight  of  figure. 

"  No,  there  is  no  one  else  I  love,"  she  answered  him. 
"  Perhaps,  some  day,  Gregory,  I  may  make  up  my 
mind — some  day,  when  things  get  too  terrible  to  be 
borne  any  longer  here.  I'm  not  afraid  ;  I  have  a 
greater  courage  than  you  think.  And,  after  all,  the 
man  dare  not  kill  me." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,  Debora,"  said  the  man. 

They  walked  away  in  the  direction  of  the  house, 
and  I  lay  still  among  the  dank  grasses,  watching 
them  as  they  went.  They  disap|>eared  round  a 
corner  of  it,  and  still  I  dared  not  move. 

After  quite  a  long  time  I  thought  I  heard  in  the 
house  itself  a  sharp  cry.  Perhaps  I  had  been  half 
asleep,  lying  there  with  my  head  on  my  arms,  but  the 
night  was  very  still,  and  it  had  seemed  to  me  that  1 
heard  the  cry  distinctly.  At  all  events  it  roused  me, 
and  startled  me  to  a  purpose.  I  must  get  into  that 
house,  and  I  must  get  a  change  of  clothing,  I  made 
straight  for  it  now,  and  presently  found  a  window  at 
a  convenient  height  from  the  ground,  alid  some  thick 
stems  of  creeper  up  which  I  could  climb  to  reach  it. 
I  stood  there  on  the  window-sill  for  a  moment  or 
two,  a  grey  shadow  among  grey  shadows  ;  then  I 


THE  SURFACE  OF  THINGS.  27 

opened  the  window,  and,  hearing  nothing,  stepped 
down  into  a  room. 

I  found  myself  in  intense  darkness,  I  left  the 
window  open  so  that  I  might  make  good  my  escape, 
and  I  began  to  fumble  about  for  something  by  which 
I  could  get  a  light.  I  stumbled  against  a  chair,  and 
stood  still  to  listen  ;  there  seemed  to  be  no  sound  in 
the  room.  And  then  while  I  moved,  in  the  hope  to 
find  a  fireplace  and  some  matches,  I  had  that  curious 
skin-stirring  feeling  that  there  was  someone  or  some- 
thing in  the  room  with  me,  silent,  and  watchful,  and 
waiting.  I  could  almost  have  sworn  that  I  heard 
someone  breathing,  and  restraining  their  breathing 
at  that. 

I  failed  to  find  the  mantelshelf,  but  I  stumbled 
presently  against  a  table.  I  stretched  out  my  hands 
cautiously  about  it,  leaning  well  forward  over  it  as  I 
did  so,  and  my  forehead  struck  against  something 
that  moved  away  and  moved  back  again — some- 
thing swinging  in  mid-air  above  the  table. 

I  thought  it  might  be  a  lamp,  and  I  put  out  my 
hand  to  steady  it.  But  that  which  I  touched  was  so 
surprising  and  so  horrifying  that  for  a  moment  I  held 
it,  and  stood  there  in  the  darkness  fumbling  with  it, 
and  on  the  verge  of  shrieking.  For  it  was  a  man's 
boot  I  held,  and  there  was  a  foot  inside  it.  Someone 
was  hanging  there  above  me. 

I  made  straight  for  the  window  at  once  ;  I  felt  I 
was  going  mad.  Needless  to  say,  I  failed  to  find  the 
window  at  all,  but  this  time  I  found  the  mantelshelf. 
There  my  hand  struck  against  a  match-box,  and 
knocked  over  a  candlestick  with  a  clatter.  After 
two  or  three  tries  I  got  a  light,  and  stooped  with  the 
lighted  match  in  my  hands  and  found  the  candle- 
stick, and  set  it  upright  on  the  floor.  So  soon  as  I 
had  steadied  my  hands  to  the  wick  and  had  got  a 
flame,  I  looked  up  at  the  dreadful  thing  above  me. 

Suspended  from  a  beam  that  went  across  the 


28  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

ceiling  was  a  man  hanging  by  the  neck,  dead — and 
the  distorted,  Hvid  face  was  the  face  of  the  man  I 
had  seen  in  the  garden  but  a  little  time  before — the 
face  of  the  man  who  had  talked  with  the  girl ! 

Nor  was  that  all.  Seated  at  the  table  was  another 
man,  with  arms  stretched  straight  across  it,  so  tliat 
the  hands  were  under  the  dangling  feet  of  the  other, 
and  with  his  face  sunk  on  the  table  between  the  arms. 
And  this  seemed  to  be  an  old  man  with  grey  hair. 


CHAPTER  II. 

I  AM  HANGED — AND  DONE  FOR. 

So  soon  as  I  could  get  my  eyes  away  from  that  thing 
that  swung  horribly  above  the  table,  I  forced  them 
to  find  the  window.  But  even  then  I  could  not  move. 
It  was  as  though  my  limbs  were  frozen  with  the 
sheer  horror  of  this  business  into  which  I  had  blun- 
dered. You  will  own  that  I  had  had  enough  of 
sensations  for  that  day  ;  I  wonder  now  that  I  was 
able  to  get  back  to  sane  thoughts  at  all.  I  stood 
there,  with  my  teeth  chattering,  and  my  hands 
clutching  at  the  grey  coat  I  wore,  striving  to  pull 
myself  together,  and  to  decide  what  was  best  to  be 
done.  To  add  to  the  horror  of  the  thing,  the  man 
who  lay  half  across  the  table  began  to  stir,  and 
presently  sat  up  slowly,  like  one  waking  from  a  long 
and  heavy  sleep.  He  sat  for  some  moments,  staring 
in  front  of  him,  with  his  hands  spread  out  palms 
downwards  on  the  table.  He  did  not  seem  to  see  me 
at  all.  I  watched  him,  wondering  what  he  would  do 
when  presently  he  should  look  round  and  catch  sight 
of  me  ;  wondering,  for  my  part,  whether,  if  he  cried 
out  with  the  shock  of  seeing  me,  I  should  grapple 
with  him,  or  make  for  the  window  and  dash  out  into 
the  darkness. 

He  did  a  surprising  thing  at  last.     He  raised  his 
eyes  slowly,  until  they  rested  upon  what  gyrated  and 

29 


30  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

swung  above  liim,  and  then,  as  his  eyes  travelled 
upwards  to  the  face,  he  smiled  very  slowly  and  very 
gently  ;  and  almost  on  the  instant  turned  his  headf, 
perhaps  at  some  noise  I  made,  and  looked  squarely 
at  me. 

"  Good  evening,  sir  !  "  he  said  in  a  low  tone. 

Think  of  it  !  To  be  calmly  greeted  in  that  fashion, 
in  a  room  into  which  I  had  blundered,  clad  gro- 
tesquely as  I  was,  and  with  tliat  dead  thing  hanging 
above  us  !  Idiotically  enough  I  tried  to  get  out  an 
answer  to  the  man,  but  I  found  my  tongue  staggering 
about  among  my  teeth  and  domg  nothing  in  the 
way  of  shaping  words.  So  I  stared  at  him  with,  I 
suppose,  a  very  white  face,  and  pointed  to  that  which 
hung  above  us. 

"  He's  very  quiet,  sir,"  said  the  old  man,  getting  to 
his  feet  slowly.  "  I  was  afraid  at  first — I  didn't 
understand.  I  was  afraid  of  him.  Think  of  that !  " 
He  laughed  again  with  a  laughter  that  was  ghastly. 

"  Cut — cut  him  down  !  "  I  stammered  in  a  wliisper, 
holding  on  to  the  edge  of  the  mantelshelf  and  begin- 
ning to  feel  a  horrible  nausea  stealing  over  me. 

He  shook  his  head.  "  I  can't  touch  him — I'm 
afraid  again,"  said  the  old  man,  and  backed  away 
into  a  corner. 

What  I  should  have  done  within  a  minute  or  two  I 
do  not  really  know,  if  by  chance  I  could  have  kept 
my  reason  at  all,  but  I  heard  someone  moving  in  the 
house,  and  coming  towards  the  room  in  which  I  stood. 
I  did  not  think  of  my  danger  ;  everything  was  so  far 
removed  from  the  ordinary  that  it  was  as  though  I 
moved  and  walked  in  some  dream,  from  wliich 
presently,  with  a  shudder  and  a  sigh  of  relief,  I  should 
awake.  Therefore,  even  when  I  heard  footsteps 
coming  towards  the  room  I  did  not  move,  nor  did  it 
seem  strange  that  whoever  came  seemed  to  step  with 
something  of  a  jaunty  air,  singing  loudly  as  he 
moved,  with  a  rather  fine  baritone  voice.     In  just 


I  AM   HANGED.  31 

such  a  fashion  a  man  flung  open  the  door  and  marched 
straight  into  the  room,  and  stopped  there,  surveying 
the  picture  we  made,  the  three  of  us — one  dead  and 
two  ahve — with  a  pair  of  very  bright,  keen  eyes. 

He  was  a  tall,  thin  man,  with  sleek  black  hair  gone 
grey  at  the  temples.  He  had  a  cleanly-shaven  face, 
much  lined  and  wrinkled  at  the  corners  of  the  eyes 
and  of  the  mouth  ;  and  when  he  presently  spoke  I 
discovered  that  his  lips  parted  quickly,  showing  the 
line  of  his  white  teeth,  and  yet  with  nothing  of  a 
smile.  It  was  as  though  the  lips  moved  mechanically 
in  some  still  strong  mask ;  only  the  eyes  were  very 
much  alive.  And  after  his  first  glance  round  the 
room  I  saw  that  his  eyes  rested  only  on  me. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  "  he 
demanded  sharply. 

I  did  not  answer  his  question  ;  I  pointed  weakly  to 
the  hanging  man.  "  Aren't  you  going — going  to  do 
anything  with  him  ?  "  I  blurted  out. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  He's  dead  ;  and  the 
other  one," — he  let  his  eyes  rest  for  a  moment  on  the 
old  man — "  the  other  one  is  as  good  as  dead  for 
anything  he  understands.  The  matter  is  between  us, 
and  perhaps  I'd  better  hear  you  first." 

"I  can't — not  with  that  in  the  room !  "  I  whispered, 
striving  to  steady  my  voice. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  again,  and  drew  from 
his  pocket  a  knife.  Keeping  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
swaying  figure  above  him,  he  mounted  to  a  chair, 
and  so  to  the  table,  deftly  and  strongly  lifted  the 
dead  man  upon  one  shoulder  while  he  severed  the 
rope  above  his  head.  Then  he  stepped  down,  first  to 
the  chair  and  then  to  the  floor,  and  laid  the  thing, 
not  ungently,  on  a  couch  in  the  corner.  I  was  able 
now  to  avert  my  eyes  from  it. 

"  Does  that  please  you  ?  "  he  asked,  with  some- 
thing of  a  sneer.  "  Get  forward  into  the  light  a 
little  ;  I  want  to  see  you," 


32  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

I  stepped  forward,  and  he  looked  me  up  and  down  ; 
then  he  nodded  slowly,  and  showed  that  white  gleam 
of  his  teeth.  "  I  see — a  convict,"  he  said.  "  From 
what  prison  ?  " 

"  Many  miles  from  here,"  I  answered  him.  "  I 
escaped  early  this  morning  ;  someone  brought  me  as 
far  as  this  on  a  motor-c^r.  I  broke  in — because  I 
wanted  food  and  a  change  of  clothing.  I  was 
desperate." 

"  I  see — I  see,"  he  said,  in  his  smooth  voice.  "  A 
change  of  clothing,  and  food.  Perhaps  we  may  be 
able  to  provide  you  with  both." 

"  You  mean  you'll  promise  to  do  so,  while  you 
communicate  with  the  police,  I  suppose  ?  "  I  answered 
sullenly. 

He  smiled,  and  shook  his  head.  "  That  is  not 
my  way  of  doing  things  at  all,"  he  said.  "  You 
are  desperate,  you  tell  me,  and  I  have  no  par- 
ticular interest  in  your  recapture.  If  it  comes 
to  that,  I  have  trouble  enough  of  my  own." 
He  glanced  for  a  moment  at  tlie  body  behind 
him.  "  I  should  like  to  know  how  it  comes 
about  that  you  are  a  convict  —  for  what  par- 
ticular crime,  I  mean  ?  " 

I  told  him,  as  briefly  as  I  could,  the  whole  story, 
not  painting  myself  too  black,  you  may  be  sure.  He 
listened  with  deep  attention  until  I  had  finished,  and 
then  for  a  minute  or  two  he  stood  still,  with  his  arms 
folded,  evidently  considering  some  point  deeply.  I 
waited,  forgetful  of  all  else  but  the  man  before  me, 
for  he  seemed  to  hold  my  fate  in  his  hands.  All 
this  time  the  old  man  I  had  found  in  the  room 
stood  in  a  corner,  smiling  foolislily,  and  rubbing 
his  hands  one  over  the  other.  The  other  man  who 
dominated  the  situation  took  not  the  faintest 
notice  of  him. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  hanging  about 
this  place,  waiting  to  break  in  ?  "  demanded  the 


I   AM   HANGED.  33 

man  who  had  come  into  the  room  last.  "  Speak 
the  truth." 

"  I  don't  exactly  know,"  I  answered.  "  I  fell 
asleep  while  I  lay  in  the  grounds,  and  lost  count  of 
time.  But  I  saw  him," — I  nodded  my  head  towards 
that  prone  figure  on  the  couch — "  I  saw  him  in  the 
grounds." 

"  Alone  ?  "     He  jerked  the  word  out  at  me. 

"  No,  there  was  a  lady." 

"  Since  you  know  that,  you  may  as  well  know  the 
rest,"  he  replied.  "  This  young  man  has  had  a  most 
unhappy  attachment  for  a  young  lady  in  this  house, 
who  is  my  ward.  He  has  persecuted  her  with  his 
attentions  ;  he  has  come  here  imder  cover  of  the 
darkness,  over  and  over  again,  against  my  wishes. 
She  liked  him " 

"  I  heard  her  say  that,"  I  broke  in,  incautiously. 

"  Then  you  only  confirm  my  words,"  he  said,  after 
a  sharp  glance  at  me.  "  Perhaps  you  may  imagine 
my  feelings  when  to-night  I  discovered  that  the 
unhappy  lx>y  had  absolutely  taken  his  revenge  upon 
me,  and  upon  her,  by  hanging  himself  in  this  very 
room.  So  far  I  have  been  able  to  keep  the  know- 
ledge from  my  ward, — I  think  there's  a  possibility 
that  I  may  be  able  to  keep  it  from  her  altogether." 

I  did  not  understand  the  drift  of  his  thought  then, 
nor  did  I  see  in  what  way  I  was  to  be  concerned  in 
the  matter.  He  came  a  little  nearer  to  me,  and 
seated  himself  on  the  table,  and  bent  his  keen  glance 
on  me  before  going  on  again.  I  think  I  muttered 
something,  for  my  own  part,  about  being  sorry,  but 
it  was  a  feeble  mutter  at  the  best. 

"  Perhaps  you  may  wonder  why  I  have  not  sent  at 
once,  in  the  ordinary  course,  for  a  doctor,"  he  went 
on.  "  That  is  quite  easily  explained  when  I  tell  you 
that- 1  am  a  doctor  myself.  The  situation  is  absurd, 
of  course.  Perhaps  I  had  better  introduce  myself. 
I  am  Dr.  Bardolph  Just."     He  paused,  as  though 


34  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

expecting    that   I    should  supply   information    on 
my  side. 

"  My  name  is  Norton  Hyde,"  I  said  brusquely. 

"  And  you  speak  like  a  gentleman,  which  is  a  pass- 
port at  once  to  my  favour,"  he  assured  me,  with  a 
bow.  "  Now,  let  us  get  to  business.  A  young  man 
comes  here  to-night  and  hangs  himself  in  my  house. 
I  have  a  deep  respect  and  hking  for  that  young  man, 
although  I  am  opposed  to  the  idea  of  his  aspiring  to 
the  hand  of  my  ward.  He  hangs  himself,  and  at 
once  scandid  springs  up,  bell-mouthed,  to  shout  the 
thing  to  the  world.  The  name  of  an  innocent  girl  is 
dragged  in  ;  my  name  is  dragged  in  ;  innocent  people 
suffer  for  the  foohsh  act  of  a  thouglitless  boy.  Tlie 
puestion  in  my  mind  at  once  is :  Can  the  penalty  be 
averted  from  us  ?  " 

I  must  own  the  man  fascinated  me.  I  began  to 
fe»l  that  I  would  do  nxuch  to  help  him,  and  to  help 
the  girl  I  had  seen  that  night  in  the  grounds  of  the 
house.  Fool  that  I  was  then,  I  did  not  understand 
and  did  not  know  what  deep  game  he  was  playing  ; 
indeed,  had  I  known,  how  could  I  have  stood  against 
him  ? 

"  I  am,  I  trust,  always  a  friend  to  the  friendless 
and  the  helpless,"  he  went  on.  "  You  are  friendless, 
I  take  it,  and  very  helpless,  and  although  I  am  no 
opp)onent  of  the  law,  I  have  yet  the  instinct  which 
tells  me  that  I  should  help  a  fugitive.  Now  let  us 
understand  one  another." 

At  this  point  we  were  interrupted,  horribly  enough, 
by  a  cry  from  the  old  man  in  the  corner — a  cry  like 
nothing  earthly.  He  advanced  a  few  steps  towards 
where  we  stood,  and  looked  from  one  to  the  other 
of  us,  with  his  hands  plucking  nervously  at 
his  lips. 

"  I  don't  understand,  gentlemen — I  don't  under- 
stand," he  said,  in  a  feeble  voice.  "  He  was  alive 
and  well  and  strong  this  morning  ;  he^clapped  me  on 


I  AM  HANGED.  35 

the  shoulder,  and  said — what  was  it  that  he  said  ?  " 
The  man  put  one  hand  to  his  head  and  looked  at  me 
in  a  lost  fashion.  "  I  forget  what  it  was  ;  something 
seems  to  have  gone  here  !  "  He  struck  his  forehead 
sharply  with  his  knuckles,  and  again  looked  at  us 
with  that  feeble  smile. 

"  Get  out  of  the  way  !  "  said  Dr.  Just  fiercely. 
*'  Take  no  notice  of  him,"  he  added  to  me.  "  He 
babbles  about  things  he  doesn't  understand." 

The  old  man  slunk  away,  and  sat  down  on  a  chair 
in  the  corner  and  dropped  his  forehead  in  his  hands. 
And  from  that  time  he  did  not  move  until  my  strange 
interview  with  Dr.  Just  was  over. 

"  Now,  what  I  suggest  is  this,"  the  doctor  said, 
leaning  towards  me  and  impressing  his  points  upon 
me  by  stabbing  one  white  forefinger  into  the  palm  of 
his  other  hand.  "  We  will  say  that  you  have  suffered 
for  a  crime  which  was  not  morally  a  crime  at  all. 
We  will  put  it  that  you,  by  all  the  laws  of  humanity, 
had  a  right  to  escape  from  the  hideous  doom  to 
which  you  had  been  consigned.  You  have  escaped, 
and  by  the  strangest  chance  you  have  found  a  friend 
at  the  very  outset." 

He  smiled  at  me,  if  that  quick  baring  of  his  teeth 
could  be  called  a  smile,  and  I  tried  to  thank  him 
with  broken  words.     Then  he  went  on  again — 

"  Before  you  can  enter  the  world  again  it  is 
necessary  that  you  should  have  clothing  which  does 
not  brand  you  as  that  dress  does,"  he  said.  "  There- 
fore I  want  for  a  moment  to  put  a  case  clearly  to 
you — to  let  you  see  what  is  in  my  mind.  Suppose 
that  this  convict,  fleeing  from  pursuit,  haunted  by 
the  thought  that  he  may  be  recaptured,  and  may 
have  to  serve  a  yet  longer  period  for  his  escapade — 
starving,  and  fainting,  and  hopeless  ;  suppose  this 
convict  enters  a  house,  and,  finding  the  means  ready 
to  his  hand,  puts  an  end  to  the  business  once  for 
all,  and  throws  up  the  sponge.     In  other  words, 


36  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

suppose  that  convict  hangs  himself,  and  so  gets  the 
laugh  of  those  who  are  hunting  him  down.  Do  you 
follow  me  ?  " 

I  was  so  far  from  following  him  that  I  shook  my 
head  feebly,  and  glanced  first  at  my  own  clothes  and 
then  at  the  man  who  had  hanged  himself,  and  who 
now  lay  on  the  couch.  Then  I  shook  my  head 
again. 

The  doctor  seemed  to  lose  patience.  "I'm  afraid 
you  haven't  a  very  quick  brain,"  he  exclaimed  testily. 
"  Let  me  make  myself  more  clear.  A  young  man  of 
good  family  and  good  standing  in  the  world,  comes 
in  here  to-night  and  commits  suicide  ;  soon  after  an 
outcast,  flying  from  justice,  follows  him,  and  breaks 
in  also.  In  appearance  the  two  are  something  alike  ; 
both  are  tall,  and  strong,  and  dark ;  each  man — the 
one  from  compulsion — has  closely  cropped  dark  hair. 
Suppose  I  suggest  that,  to  avoid  a  scandal,  it  is  the 
convict  who  has  hanged  himself,  and  that  the  other 
man  has  not  been  here  at  all.  In  other  words,  as 
you  need  a  change  of  clothing,  I  propose  you  change 
with  that !  " 

I  gasped  at  the  mere  horror  of  the  idea ;  I  shud- 
dered as  I  looked  at  the  dead  man.  "  I  couldn't — 
I  couldn't !  "  I  whispered.  "  Besides,  what  would 
become  of  me  ?  " 

*'  I  don't  ask  you  to  take  the  place  of  the  other 
man  ;  that  would  be  too  risky,  and  would,  in  fact,  be 
impossible,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I  am  merely  asking 
you  to  assist  me  to  cover  up  this  unfortunate  business 
and  at  the  same  time  to  save  yourself." 

There  was  no  time  for  me  to  think  ;  I  was  Uke 
a  rat  in  a  trap.  Nevertheless,  on  an  impulse,  I 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  so  mad  a  notion. 
"  I  won't  do  it ;  it's  impossible  !  "  I  said. 

"  Very  good,  my  friend !  "  He  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  moved  quietly  across  the  room  to- 
wards the  bell.    "  Then  my  duty  is  clear — I^give 


I  AM  HANGED.  37 

you  up  to  those  who  must  be  anxious  concerning 
your  safety.  I've  given  you  your  chance,  and  you 
refuse  to  take  it." 

His  hand  was  on  the  bell  when  I  called  to  him, 
"  Stop  !  is  there  no  other  way  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head.  "  No  other  way  at  all,"  he 
replied.  "  Come,  be  reasonable  ;  I'm  not  going  to 
land  you  into  a  trap.  Put  the  matter  clearly 
to  yourself.  You  are  a  pariah,  outside  the  pale  of 
civilised  things ;  I  offer  you  a  fresh  start.  Mr. 
Norton  Hyde,  the  convict,  commits  suicide — I  pledge 
my  word  to  you  that  the  fraud  shall  not  be  dis- 
covered. A  certain  young  girl  is  saved  from  much 
trouble,  and  sorrow,  and  anxiety ;  I  also  am  saved 
from  the  consequences  of  a  very  rash  act,  com- 
mitted by  our  dead  friend  here.  So  far  as  you  are 
concerned,  you  can  start  afresh,  with  your  record 
wiped  out.     Come — yes  or  no  ?  '* 

"  I  don't  trust  you,"  I  said.  "  What  do  you  want 
to  do  with  me  ?  what  purpose  have  you  in  this, 
apart  from  the  hushing  up  of  a  scandal  ?  " 

He  became  thoughtful  at  that ;  presently,  looking 
up,  he  answered  me  with  what  seemed  to  be  a 
charming  frankness,  "  You  have  the  right  to  ask,  and 
although  I  might  refuse  to  reply,  I  want  to  treat 
you  fairly,"  he  said.  "  In  a  certain  business  in  which 
I  am  interested — a  certain  scheme  I  have  on  hand — 
I  want  help.  You  will  be  a  man  who  has  thrown 
everything,  as  it  were,  into  the  melting-pot  of  life  : 
you  will  have  everything  to  win,  and  nothing  to 
lose.  In  other  words,  you  are  just  the  creature  I 
want — the  man  ready  to  my  hand,  to  do  anything 
I  may  suggest.  You  haven't  answered  me  yet ;  is 
it  to  be  yes  or  no  ?  " 

I  said,  "  No  !  "  quickly,  and  he  moved  towards 
the  bell  with  an  impatient  frown.  He  had  only 
three  steps  to  take,  but  in  that  brief  moment  I  had 
a  vision  of  myself  handcuffed  and  going  back  to  my 


38  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

prison  ;  I  could  not  bear  it.  He  was  within  an  inch 
of  the  bell,  when  I  cried  out  the  word  that  was  to 
change  all  my  life,  and  was  to  set  me  upon  the 
most  desperate  venture  I  had  yet  had  anything  to 
do  with.     I  cried  out,  "  Yes." 

He  smiled,  and  came  back  to  me.  "  You  should 
learn  to  make  up  your  mind  more  quickly,"  he  said. 
"  Now,  let  us  see  what  we  have  to  do.  You've 
nothing  to  be  afraid  of,  and  you  need  take  no  notice 
of  that  creature  in  the  comer  there ;  he  knows 
nothing,  and  will  remember  nothing.  Strip  your- 
self to  the  skin." 

As  I  began  to  undress,  I  glanced  at  the  old  man 
in  the  comer ;  he  sat  in  the  same  attitude,  with 
his  head  sunk  in  his  hands.  "  What  is  wrong  with 
him  ?  "  I  asked. 

Dr.  Bardolph  Just  was  bending  over  the  body  of 
the  man  on  the  couch  ;  he  did  not  look  round.  [ 
J"  Something  snapped  in  his  brain  a  little  time 
ago,"  he  answered  me.  "  It  is  as  though  you  had 
snapped  the  mainspring  of  a  watch  ;  the  brain  in 
him  died  at  that  moment." 

"  What  caused  it  ?  "  I  asked,  still  shedding  my 
clotlies. 

"  Shock.  Get  your  clothes  off,  and  don't  talk  so 
much,"  he  snapped. 

He  tossed  certain  garments  to  me  one  by  one,  and 
I  flung  him  my  own  in  return.  So  the  change  was 
made,  and  I  presently  stood  up  and  looked  down  at 
myself,  and  saw  myself  as  that  young  man  who  had 
stood  in  the  garden  and  had  talked  to  the  girl. 
For,  indeed,  I  was  something  like  him  in  figure,  and 
height,  and  appearance.  When  the  doctor  moved 
away  from  the  couch  I  gasped,  for  there  I  lay,  in 
the  dress  I  had  worn  for  a  year,  branded  and  num- 
bered— and  dead.  It  was  not  a  pretty  sight  ;  I 
turned  away  from  it,  shuddering. 

But  the  doctor  laughed  softly.     "  It  is  not  given 


I  AM  HANGED.  39 

to  every  man  to  see  himself  as  he  will  one  day  be," 
he  said. 

"  What  was  his  name  ?  "  I  whispered, 

"  Gregory  Pennington,"  he  answered,  looking  at 
the  body.  "  So  you  see  at  one  stroke  we  get  rid  of 
Gregory  Pennington,  and  of  a  certain  unfortunate 
convict,  named  Norton  Hyde.  So  far  as  your 
further  christening  is  concerned,  we  must  arrange 
that  later,  for  this  matter  must  be  taken  with  a 
certain  boldness,  or  weak  spots  may  be  discovered 
in  it.  I  think  you  said  you  were  hungry,  and  I 
daresay  you've  had  enough  of  this  room  for  the 
present." 

*'  More  than  enough,"  I  replied. 

"  Then  come  along,  and  let  us  see  if  we  can  find 
something  to  put  better  courage  into  you,"  he  said. 
And  gratefully  enough  I  followed  him  from  the 
room  in  that  new  disguise. 

The  house  was  a  very  large  one.  We  traversed 
a  number  of  corridors  before  coming  to  a  room 
which  seemed  to  be  half-study  and  half-surgery. 
I  should  not  have  known  as  to  the  latter  half  of  it, 
but  for  the  fact  that  the  doctor,  who  did  not  seem 
to  care  to  summon  any  servants  there  may  have 
been,  left  me  there  while  he  went  in  search  of  food. 
I  peeped  behind  a  screen  at  one  end  of  the  room, 
and  saw  an  array  of  bottles,  and  test  tubes  in 
stands,  and  other  paraphernalia.  At  the  further  end 
of  the  room  were  great  book  cases  reaching  to  the 
ceiling,  and  a  big  desk  with  a  reading-lamp  upon 
it.  But  even  here,  though  the  furniture  was  hand- 
some, the  room  had  a  neglected  appearance,  as, 
indeed,  I  afterwards  found  every  room  in  that 
house  had. 

Bardolph  Just  came  back  in  a  little  while,  carry- 
ing food  and  a  decanter.  After  he  had  set  the  food 
out  on  a  table,  and  I  had  fallen  to  with  a  relish,  he 
laughed  softly,  and  said  that,  after  all,  he  had  for- 


40  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

gotten  to  bring  me  a  glass.  He  declared,  however, 
that  that  was  a  matter  soon  remedied,  and  he 
went  behind  the  screen,  and  came  out  with  a 
tall  measuring-glass  in  his  hand.  It  seemed  an 
uncanny  thing  to  drink  wine  out  of ;  but  I  had  no 
choice. 

He  presently  pulled  open  a  drawer  in  the  desk, 
and  took  out  a  cigar,  and  hghted  it ;  as  I  had  finished 
my  meal,  he  tossed  one  to  me,  and  I  gratefully  began 
to  smoke.  The  man  was  evidently  still  turning 
over  some  matter  in  his  mind,  for  he  said  nothing 
while  he  sat  twisting  the  cigar  round  between  his 
lips  and  looking  at  me.  His  back  was  turned  to- 
wards the  door  of  the  room,  and  presently  in  that 
house  of  horror  I  saw  the  door  begin  slowly  to 
open. 

I  suppose  I  ought  to  have  cried  out,  but  once 
again  I  was  fascinated  by  what  might  happen  at 
any  moment,  and  perhaps  in  sheer  wonder  as  to 
what  was  coming  in.  It  was  nothing  worse,  as  it 
turned  out,  than  the  Httle,  old  grey-haired  man  I 
had  seen  in  the  further  room,  and  who  had  evidently 
followed  us.  He  crept  in  now,  step  by  step,  with 
that  curious  smile  upon  his  face,  and  when  he  was 
fairly  in  the  room  closed  the  door — I  noticed  that 
it  closed  with  a  sharp  little  click,  as  though  it  had 
a  spring  lock. 

Dr.  Bardolph  Just  did  a  curious  thing.  As  the 
lock  clicked  he  suddenly  sat  rigid,  gripping  the 
arms  of  liis  chair,  and  staring  at  me  as  though 
from  my  face  he  would  learn  what  was  behind  him. 
Seeing,  I  suppose,  nothing  in  my  expression  to 
guide  him,  he  suddenly  swung  sharply  round  and 
faced  the  httle  old  man  ;  and  I  thought  at  that 
moment  |that  a  quick  sigh  broke  from  him, 
as  of  relief.  I  wondered  what  he  had  expected 
to  see. 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  want  ?  "  he  demanded, 


I  AM  HANGED.  41 

in  a  voice  raised  but  little  above  a  whisper.     "  Why 
do  you  follow  me  about  ?  '" 

The  old  man  spread  out  his  hands  in  a  depreca- 
ting fashion,  and  shook  his  head.  "  Nothing,  sir," 
he  said,  "  nothing  at  all.  But  he  won't  speak  to 
me — and  he  has  never  been  like  that  before.  I 
don't  understand  it.  I  knelt  beside  him  just  now, 
and  his  dress  was  different — and — and — "  I  saw 
his  hands  go  up  to  his  lips,  and  pluck  at  them 
in  that  strange  fashion — "  and  he  won't  speak 
to   me." 

The  doctor  turned  from  him  to  me,  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders,  "  This  is  a  nice  apparition  to  be 
following  a  man  about,"  he  said  petulantly.  "  I 
can't  make  him  out  at  all." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  I  ventured  to  ask  in  a  whisper. 

"  The  servant  of  the  dead  man — one  of  those 
faithful  old  fools  that  attach  themselves  to  you, 
and  won't  be  shaken  off,  I  suppose.  He  came  here 
to-night,  following  his  unfortunate  master.  What 
the  deuce  am  I  to  do  with  him  ?  " 

"  He  seems  harmless  enough,"  I  whispered. 
"  But  isn't  it  rather  dangerous  to  have  him  about 
here,  after  the  fraud  that  has  been  committed. 
Won't  he  speak  ?  Won't  he  say  that  this  dead 
man  is  not  the  escaped  convict,  but  his  master  ?  " 

"  There's  no  fear  of  that,"  repUed  the  other.  "  I 
tell  you  something  has  snapped  in  his  brain  ;  he 
doesn't  understand.  If  I  turned  him  out  into  the 
world  now,  he  would  remember  nothing,  and  would 
have  no  story  to  tell,  even  if  he  were  questioned. 
But  I  don't  want  to  turn  him  out — and  yet  he 
haunts  me." 

"  You  say  he  changed  in  a  moment  ?  "  I  asked. 

Dr.  Just  nodded.  "  When  he  saw  his  master 
dead,  he  simply  cried  out,  and  afterwards  remained- 
as  you  see  him  now.  I  must  dispose  of  him  for  the 
night,  at  least,"  he  said,  getting  to  his  feet,  and 


42  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

approaching  the  old  man.  "  Come,  Capper,  I 
want  you." 

The  httle  old  man  looked  round  at  him  as  he 
said  that  name,  and  I  saw  a  faint  fear  come  into 
his  eyes.  He  shrank  away  a  little,  but  the  doctor 
grasped  his  arm  quickly,  and  drew  him  towards  the 
door.  He  went  out  in  that  grasp  passively  enough, 
and  I  was  left  alone  again. 

I  had  almost  fallen  asleep,  worn  out  with  the 
excitements  of  the  day,  when  the  doctor  came 
back  a^ain.  I  started  to  my  feet  drowsily,  and 
faced  him. 

"  Good-night !  "  he  said,  and  held  out  his  hand 
to  me — a  cold  hand,  but  firm  and  strong  in  its 
touch.  "  You  may  see  and  hear  strange  thia^s  in 
this  house,"  he  added,  "  but  it  is  not  your  busmess 
to  take  any  notice  of  them.  You  will  be,  I  hope, 
properly  grateful  to  me — the  man  who  has  saved 
you,  and  given  you  a  new  lease  of  life." 

"  Yes,  I  shall  be  grateful,"  I  promised  him. 

He  conducted  me  to  a  room  in  what  seemed  to 
be  an  outlying  wing  of  the  house,  and  left  me  to 
my  own  reflections.  In  truth,  I  was  too  tired  to 
give  much  time  to  thought.  I  slipped  off  my 
clothes  and  got  into  bed,  and  was  asleep  in  five 
minutes. 

But  I  was  not  destined  to  sleep  well,  after  all. 
In  the  first  place,  I  was  troubled  most  unaccount- 
ably by  dreams,  in  which  I  saw  myself  going  through 
the  most  extraordinary  adventures,  and  finally 
hanging  to  what  seemed  to  be  the  roof  of  Pent- 
house Prison,  with  the  little  old  man  of  the  grey 
hair  grinning  up  at  me  from  the  ground  below. 
And  through  my  dreams  there  appeared  always  to 
go  the  light,  quick  figure  of  that  girl  I  had  seen  in 
the  grounds  of  the  house  ;  and  always  she  went 
searching  for  someone.  I  dreamed  at  last  that  she 
came  straight  to  me,  and  took  me  by  the  arms, 


I   AM   HANGED.  43 

and  stared  at  me,  and  cried  out  that  she  had  found 
the  man  she  wanted.  And  so  1  sat  up  in  bed  in 
the  darkness,  struggUng  with  someone  very  real, 
who  was  gripping  me. 

I  ahnost  shrieked,  as  I  rolled  out  of  bed,  and 
tried  to  disengage  myself  from  the  arms  of  a  man 
who  was  clinging  to  me.  I  contrived  to  drag  him 
towards  the  window,  where,  by  the  faint  light  of 
the  stars  outside,  I  saw  that  it  was  the  man  Capper 
— that  seemingly  half-witted  creature  who  had  been 
the  servant  of  the  dead  man. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  I  ejaculated. 
^3j"  I've  been  dreaming,"  said  Capper. 
;  ,"  Well,    what   of   that  ?  "    I    demanded    testily, 
"jl've  been  dreaming,  too." 

"  Yes,  but  not  dreams  like  mine,"  whispered  the 
old  man,  looking  fearfully  over  his  shoulder.  "  Tell 
me,  do  you  think  they'll  come  true  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  they  were,"  I  reminded  him. 

He  clutched  me  by  the  arm,  and  stared  up  in  my 
face.  There  seemed  almost  a  light  of  madness  in 
his  eyes.  "  I  dreamed  that  it  happened  a  long 
time  ago — before  my  head  went  wrong.  I  dreamed 
of  a  blow  struck  in  the  dark  ;  I  thought  someone  (it 
might  have  been  myself,  but  I'm  not  sure  even 
of  that) — I  dreamed  that  someone  screamed, 
'  Murder  !  "* 

In  a  growing  excitement  he  had  raised  his  voice 
almost  to  a  scream  ;  I  clapped  my  hand  over  his 
lips  as  he  got  out  the  dreadful  word.  I  felt  my 
hair  stirring  on  my  scalp.  I  wondered  if  by  chance 
something  dreadful  had  happened  in  that  house,  of 
which  this  old  man  knew,  and  the  memory  of  which 
was  locked  away  in  that  closed  brain  of  his. 

"  Let  me  stay  here  to-night,"  he  pleaded,  cling- 
ing to  me.  "  I'll  be  still  as  a  mouse  ;  I'll  He  in  this 
corner  on  the  floor." 

So  I  let  him  lie  there,  and  I  went  back  to  mv 


44  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

bed.  For  a  long  time  I  lay  awake,  watching  him 
and  thinking  about  him  ;  but  gradually  towards 
the  morning  I  fell  asleep,  and  slept  heavily.  When 
I  awoke  at  last,  with  the  sun  shining  in  at  my 
window,  the  man  was  gone,  and  my  door  stood  open. 

That  was  to  be  a  day  of  happenings.  Even  now 
my  mind  holds  but  a  confused  memory  of  them,  in 
which  I  seem  to  be  now  myself,  and  now  some 
other  man  ;  now  living  on  hope,  and  now  sunk  into 
the  depths  of  fear  and  despair.  For  what  I  have 
to  tell  seems  so  incredible,  that  only  by  some  know- 
ledge of  the  man  who  carried  the  plot  boldly  through 
can  any  idea  of  how  the  business  was  arranged  be 
arrived  at. 

Dr.  Bardolph  Just  acted  with  promptness  and 
decision  that  day.  A  messenger  flew  down  towards 
London  to  summon  the  police  ;  and  a  telegram  sped 
over  the  wires  back  to  Penthouse  Prison.  The 
missing  convict  had  been  found ;  all  the  world 
might  come  to  the  house  of  Dr.  Bardolph  Just, 
and  see  this  thing  for  themselves.  At  the  last, 
when  we  actually  expected  the  enemy  to  arrive  at 
our  gates,  as  it  were,  I  nervously  plucked  the 
doctor's  sleeve,  and  whispered  a  question. 

"  What  about  his  hair  ?  They'll  be  sure  to  notice 
that." 

He  smiled  a  Uttle  pityingly,  I  thought ;  but  then, 
to  the  very  end  tlie  man  retained  some  contempt 
for  me.     "  Come  and  see  for  yourself,"  he  said. 

So  I  went  back  with  him  into  that  room  where 
we  had  left  the  dead  man,  and  there  I  saw  a  miracle. 
For  while  I  slept  the  doctor  had  been  at  work,  and 
the  head  of  poor  Gregory  Pennington  was  cropped 
as  closely  as  my  own.  I  shuddered  and  turned 
away. 

"How  you  ever  contrived  to  escape  puzzles 
me,"  said  Bardolph  Just.  "  You  haven't  half  my 
courage." 


I  AM  HANGED.  45 

The  man  was  certainly  amazing.  He  met  every- 
thing blandly  ;  he  was  firm,  and  quiet,  and  dignified 
with  this  official  and  with  that.  He  told  me  after- 
wards all  that  he  did,  and  I  had  no  reason  to  dis- 
believe him.  For  my  own  part,  of  course,  I  had 
to  keep  out  of  the  way,  and  I  spent  most  of  my 
time  in  the  spacious  grounds  surrounding  the  house. 
There  was  an  old  ruined  summer-house  at  one 
corner,  under  a  high  wall ;  and  there,  fortified  with 
a  few  of  the  doctor's  cigars,  I  awaited  quietly 
the  turn  of  events.  According  to  the  doctor's 
description  to  me  afterwards,  what  happened 
was  this  : 

In  the  first  place,  the  puzzle  fitted  so  neatly 
together  that  there  was  no  feeling  of  suspicion.  A 
tall,  well-built,  dark-haired  man,  in  the  clothes  of  a 
convict,  was  roaming  over  the  country  ;  by  a  miracle 
a  man  answering  that  description,  and  dressed  in 
those  clothes,  and  having  the  necessary  number 
upon  him,  had  got  to  this  house  on  the  northern 
heights  above  London,  and  there,  in  despair  of 
escaping  further,  had  hanged  himself.  Dr.  Bar- 
dolph  Just  was  a  man  of  standing  in  the  scientific 
world — a  man  who  had  made  discoveries  ;  there 
was  no  thought  of  calling  his  word  in  question. 
This  dead  man  was  undoubtedly  the  escaped 
convict — Norton  Hyde. 

A  very  necessary  inquest  was  held,  and  twelve 
good  men  and  true  settled  that  matter  once  and 
for  all.  There  had  been  one  curious  point  in  the 
evidence,  but  even  that  was  a  point  that  had  been 
miraculously  explained.  The  doctor  spoke  of  it 
airily,  and  I  wondered  a  little  why  he  did  not  explain 
the  matter  with  more  exactitude. 

"  It  seems,"  he  said,  "  that  they  discovered  on 
the  head  of  the  unfortunate  man  the  mark  of  a 
blow — a  blow  which  had  undoubtedly  stunned  him 
— or  so,  at  least,  theythought.     It's  impossible  for 


46  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

me  to  say  how  the  unfortunate  Gregory  Penning- 
ton came  by  such  an  injury,  but  at  all  events 
even  that  was  accounted  for  in  the  case  of  Norton 
Hyde." 

"  How  ?  "  I  asked. 

Dr.  Just  laughed.  "  A  certain  motorist  put  in 
an  appearance,  and  frankly  explained  that  he  had 
picked  you  up  on  the  roadside  near  Penthouse 
Prison,  and  had  given  you  a  lift  as  far  as  this  very 
house.  Then  there  was  an  accident,  and  he  and 
his  passenger  were  both  pitched  out ;  he  was  con- 
vinced that  in  that  way  you  got  your  injury.  The 
thing  was  as  simple  as  possible — you  had  recovered 
consciousness  before  he  did,  and  had  scrambled  over 
the  fence  here." 

*'  But  did  they  swallow  the  story  of  my  being  in 
the  house — of  my  breaking  in  ?  "  I  asked 

"  I  had  thought  of  that,"  said  the  doctor.  "  So 
my  tale  was  that  you  had  hanged  yourself  from  a 
beam  in  an  outhouse — probably  because  you  failed 
in  your  purpose  of  breaking  into  my  dwelling.  As 
a  d,octor,  the  moment  I  discovered  you  I  cut  you 
down,  and  carried  you  in,  and  did  my  best  to  restore 
animation,  but  in  vain.  You  will  like  to  know, 
Mr.  Norton  Hyde,  that  my  humanity  was  warmly 
commended  by  the  jury  and  coroner." 
"I  laughed  in  a  sickly  fashion.  "But  I  am  not 
Norton  Hyde  any  longer,"  I  reminded  him. 

"  True — and  I  have  thought  of  a  name  for  you 
that  shall,  in  a  fashion,  mark  your  entry  into  another 
phase  of  existence.  A  nice  name,  and  a  short  one. 
What  do  you  say  to  the  title  of  John  New,  a 
personal  friend  of  my  own  ?  " 

I  told  him  that  any  name  would  suit  me  that  was 
not' the  old  one,  and  so  that  matter  was  settled,  b 

He  displayed  so  great  an  anxiety  to  see  the  matter 
ended,  and  was  altogether  so  sympathetic  with  that 
poor  convict  who  in  his  despair  had  hanged  him- 


1  AM  HANGED.  47 

self,  that  he  even  attended  the  funeral.  Which  is 
to  say,  that  he  carried  the  fraud  so  far  as  to  go  to 
Penthouse  Prison,  what  time  that  disguised  body  of 
Godfrey  Pennington  was  carried  there,  and  to  see  it 
interred  with  all  due  solemnity  within  the  prison 
precincts  ;  I  believe  he  lunched  with  the  governor 
of  the  prison  on  that  occasion,  and,  altogether, 
played  his  part  very  well. 

It  is  left  to  me  to  record  here  one  other  happening 
of  that  time,  and  one  which  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  me.  On  the  night  of  that  strange  finish- 
ing of  the  fraud,  when  Dr.  Bardolph  Just  returned, 
I  was  sitting  smoking  in  the  summer-house,  and 
enjoying  the  evening  air,  when  I  heard  what  seemed 
to  be  the  quick,  half-strangled  cry  of  a  woman.  I 
tossed  aside  my  cigar  and  started  to  my  feet  and 
came  out  of  the  summer-house.  It  was  very 
dark  in  that  comer  of  the  grounds,  and  the 
summer-house  in  particular  had  great  deep  shadows 
inside  it. 

There  came  towards  me,  flying  among  the  trees, 
and  looking  back  in  a  scared  fashion  over  her 
shoulder,  the  girl  I  had  seen  with  Gregory  Penning- 
ton— the  girl  he  had  called  Debora.  She  came 
straight  at  me,  not  seeing  me  ;  and  in  the  distance 
I  saw  Bardolph  Just  running,  and  heard  him  caUing 
to  her.  On  an  instinct  I  caught  at  her,  and  laid  a 
hnger  on  my  lips,  and  thrust  her  into  the  summer- 
house.  Bardolph  Just  came  running  up  a  moment 
later,  and  stopped  a  little  foolishly  on  seeing  me. 
And  by  that  time  I  was  stretching  my  arms  and 
yawning. 

He  made  some  casual  remark,  and  turned  back 
towards  the  house.  When  he  had  gone  I  called  to 
the  girl,  and  she  came  out ;  she  was  white-faced  and 
trembling,  and  there  were  tears  in  her  eyes.  I  felt 
that  I  hated  Bardolph  Just,  with  a  hatred  that  was 
altogether  unreasonable. 


48  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I  saw  you  here  yesterday,"  she  said,  looking  at 
me  earnestly.  "  I  need  friends  badly — and  you 
have  a  good,  kind  face.     Will  you  be  my  friend  ?  " 

I  do  not  know  what  words  I  said  ;  I  only  know 
that  there,  in  the  dark  garden,  as  I  bent  over  her 
little  hands  and  put  them  to  my  Wps,  I  vowed  myself 
in  my  heart  to  her  service. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE     MISSING     MAN. 

I  FIND  it  difficult  to  write,  in  my  halting  fashion,  of 
what  my  sensations  were  at  that  time.  God  knows 
what  good  was  in  me,  and  only  God  and  time  could 
bring  that  good  out  of  me  ;  for  I  had  had  no  child- 
hood, and  my  manhood  had  been  a  thing  thwarted 
and  blighted. 

You  have  to  understand  that  in  a  matter  of  a 
few  days  I  had  lived  years  of  an  ordinary  life  ;  had 
been  in  prison,  and  had  escaped  ;  had  come  near  to 
death  ;  had  found  myself  buried  and  done  with,  and 
yet  enlisted  on  life  under  a  new  name ;  and,  to 
crown  it  all,  now  come  face  to  face  with  someone 
who  believed  in  me  and  trusted  me — broken  reed 
though  I  was  to  lean  upon. 

I  stood  in  the  dark  grounds,  holding  the  girl's 
hands  and  looking  into  her  eyes  :  and  that  was  a 
new  experience  for  me.  I  remembered  how  some- 
one else — dead,  and  shamefully  buried  in  the  pre- 
cincts of  a  prison — had  held  her  hands  but  a  little 
time  before,  and  had  begged  that  he  might  help  her. 
Well,  he  was  past  all  that  now  ;  and  I,  with  my  poor 
record  behind  me,  stood,  miraculously  enough,  in 
his  place.  Yet  there  were  things  I  must  under- 
stand, if  I  would  help  her  at  all :  I  wanted  to  know 

49  D 


50  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

why  she  had  fled  from  her  guardian,  and  why,  in 
his  turn,  he  had  chased  her  through  the  grounds. 

"  What  were  you  afraid  of  ?  "  I  asked  her  gently  ; 
and  it  was  pleasant  to  me  that  she  should  forget  to 
take  her  hands  out  of  mine. 

"  Of  him,"  she  said,  with  a  glance  towards  the 
house  ;  and  I  thought  she  shivered.  "  I  wonder  if 
you  can  understand  what  I  feel,  and  of  what  I  am 
afraid  ?  "  she  went  on,  looking  at  me  curiously.  "  I 
do  not  even  know  your  name." 

I  laughed  a  little  bitterly.  "  You  must  indeed 
be  in  need  of  friends  if  you  come  to  me,"  I  answered. 
"  But  my  name  is  John  New,  and  I  am  a — a  friend 
of  Dr.  Just." 

"  Oh !  "  She  shrank  away  from  me  with  a 
startled  look.     "  I  did  not  understand  that." 

"  I  am  a  friend  of  Dr.  Just,"  I  repeated,  "  because 
it  happens  that  I  am  very  much  in  his  power,  and 
I  must  be  his  friend  if  I  would  live  at  all.  If  that 
is  your  case,  too,  surely  we  might  form  some  small 
conspiracy  together  against  him.  You're  not  fond 
of  the  man  ?  "  I  hazarded. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  I  hate  him — and  I'm 
afraid  of  him,"  she  said  vehemently.  "  And  yet  I 
have  to  look  to  him  for  everything  in  the  world." 

"  Sit  down,  and  tell  me  about  it,"  I  said  ;  and  I 
drew  her  into  the  summer-house,  and  sat  by  her 
side  while  she  talked  to  me.  She  was  like  a  child 
in  the  ease  with  which  she  gave  me  her  confidence  ; 
and  as  I  listened  to  her,  years  seemed  to  separate  me 
from  my  prison  and  from  the  life  I  had  led.  For 
this  was  the  first  gentle  soul  with  whom  I  had  yet 
come  in  contact. 

"  You  must  first  tell  me,"  she  urged,  "  why  you 
are  in  the  doctor's  jwwer.  Who  are  you  ?  and 
what  have  you  done,  that  he  should  be  able  to  hold 
you  in  his  hands  ?  You  are  a  man  ;  you're  not  a 
weak  girl." 


THE   MISSING    MAN.  51 

It  was  difficult  to  answer  her.  "  Well,"  I  began, 
after  a  pause,  "  I  did  something,  a  long  time  ago, 
of  which  the  doctor  knows  ;  and  he  holds  that 
knowledge  over  me.     That's  all  I  can  tell  you." 

She  looked  straight  into  my  eyes,  and  I  found, 
to  my  relief,  that  I  was  able  to  look  at  her  with 
some  frankness  in  return.  "  I  don't  believe  it  was 
anything  very  wrong,"  she  said  at  last. 

"  Thank  you,"  I  answered,  and  I  prayed  that  she 
might  never  know  what  my  sin  had  been. 

"  You  see,"  she  went  on  confidentially,  while  the 
shadows  grew  about  us  ;  "I  am  really  all  alone  in 
the  world,  except  for  Dr.  Just,  who  is  my  guardian. 
He  was  made  my  guardian  by  my  poor,  dear  father, 
who  died  some  two  years  ago  ;  my  father  believed 
in  the  doctor  very  much.  They  had  written  a 
scientific  treatise  together — because  the  doctor  is 
very  clever,  and  father  quite  looked  up  to  him.  So 
when  he  died  he  left  directions  that  I  was  to  be 
taken  care  of  by  the  doctor.  That  was  two  years 
ago,  and  I  have  lived  in  this  house  ever  since,  with 
one  short  interval." 

"  And  the  interval  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  We  went  down  to  a  country  house  belonging  to 
the  doctor — a  place  in  Essex,  called  Green  Barn. 
It's  a  gloomy  old  house — worse  than  this  one  ;  the 
doctor  goes  there  to  shoot.'' 

"  But  you  haven't  told  me  yet  why  you  were 
running  away  from  him,"  I  reminded  her. 

She  bent  her  head,  so  that  I  could  not  see  her 
face.  "  Lately,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  his 
manner  to  me  has  changed.  At  first  he  was  cour- 
teous and  kind — he  treated  me  as  though  I  had 
been  his  daughter.  But  now  it's  all  different ;  he 
looks  at  me  in  a  fashion  I  understand — and  yet 
don't  understand.  To-day  he  tried  to  put  his  arm 
round  me,  and  to  kiss  me  ;  then  when  I  ran  away 
he  ran  after  me." 


52  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

I  felt  that  I  hated  the  doctor  very  cordially ;  I 
had  an  insane  desire  to  be  present  if  by  any  chance 
he  should  repeat  his  conduct.  I  felt  my  muscles 
stiffen  as  I  looked  at  the  girl ;  in  my  thoughts  I  was 
like  some  knight  of  old,  ready  to  do  doughty  deeds 
for  this  fair,  pretty  girl,  who  was  so  ready  to  confide 
in  me.  I  forgot  all  about  who  I  was,  or  what  had 
happened  to  me  ;  I  had  only  strangely  come  out  into 
the  world  again — into  a  world  of  love. 

But  the  fact  that  it  was  a  world  of  love  reminded 
me  that  I  had  had  a  rival — another  man  who  had 
held  her  hands  and  looked  into  her  eyes,  and  pleaded 
that  he  might  help  her.  I  could  not,  of  course,  ask 
about  him,  because  I  held  the  key  to  his  fate,  and 
that  fate  intimately  concerned  my  own  safety ;  but 
I  was  consumed  with  curiosity,  nevertheless. 
Strangely  enough,  she  voiced  my  thoughts  by 
beginning  to  speak  of  him. 

"  There  is  something  else  that  troubles  me,"  she 
said  earnestly.  "  I  have  one  friend — a  dear,  good, 
loyal  feUow  ;  but  he  has  unaccountably  gone  away, 
and  I  can  hear  nothing  of  him." 

I  felt  myself  turning  hot  and  cold  ;  I  blessed  the 
darkness  of  the  summer-house.  "  What  was  his 
name  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Gregory  Pennington,"  she  answered  softly. 
"  He  was  my  friend  before  my  father  died  ;  he 
followed  me  here  when  the  doctor  took  charge  of 
me.  He  was  afraid  of  the  doctor — not  for  himself, 
but  on  my  account ;  he  had  a  strange  idea,  and  one 
that  I  have  tried  to  laugh  at,  that  the  doctor  wanted 
to  kill  me." 

f  She  looked  at  me  with  smiling  eyes,  laughing  at 
such  a  suggestion  ;  but  I,  remembering  the  earnest- 
ness of  Gregory  Pennington's  words  to  the  girl  on 
that  first  occasion  of  my  coming  to  the  house, 
seemed  now  to  hear  that  warning  as  though  it  came 
indeed  from  the  dead.    And  I  could  not  answer  her. 


THE  MISSING  MAN.  53 

"  That  was  foolish,  wasn't  it  ?  "  she  said,  with 
a  little  laugh.  "  But  then,  I  think  poor  Gregory 
loves  me,  and  that  made  him  afraid  for  me.  You 
have  been  in  the  house  here  for  some  days ;  have 
you  seen  nothing  of  him  ?  '" 

I  was  obliged  to  lie  ;  there  was  nothing  else  for 
it.  I  shook  my  head,  and  lied  stoutly.  "  No,"  I 
replied,  "  I  have  never  seen  him." 

"  It's  all  so  strange,"  she  said,  as  she  got  to  her 
feet.  "  The  doctor  did  not  like  him,  and  had  for- 
bidden him  the  house,  in  spite  of  my  remonstrances. 
As  he  was  my  friend,  Gregory  and  I  used  to 
meet  secretly  in  these  grounds  in  the  evening." 

I  remembered  how  I  had  seen  them  together  ;  I 
remembered,  with  a  shudder,  all  that  had  happened 
afterwards.  But  still  I  said  nothing ;  for  what 
could  I  say  ? 

"  It  was  all  so  strange,"  she  went  on  ;  and  her 
voice  sounded  ghostly  in  the  darkness.  I  had  risen, 
and  was  standing  opposite  to  her ;  I  seemed  to  feel 
that  the  air  had  grown  suddenly  very  chill.  "  The 
last  time  I  saw  him  he  told  me  that  he  would  go  to 
the  house,  and  would  see  my  guardian.  I  did  all  I 
could,"  she  proceeded  helplessly,  "  to  dissuade  him, 
but  he  would  not  listen.  He  said  he  must  have  an 
understanding  with  Dr.  Just,  and  must  take  me 
away  ;  although  I  think  I  should  never  have  con- 
sented to  that,  in  any  case — because,  you  see,  I  did 
not  really  love  him.  He  had  always  been  like  a 
good,  kind  brother  to  me,  but  nothing  more." 

"  And  did  he  go  to  the  house  ?  "  I  asked,  for  the 
want  of  something  better  to  say. 

She  nodded.  "  I  would  not  go  in  with  him,"  she 
replied,  "  but  I  saw  him  go  towards  the  doctor's 
study,     I  went  off  to  my  own  room." 

"  And  you  heard  nothing,  and  saw  nothing  after 
that  ?  "  I  asked  breathlessly. 

"  Nothing  at   all,"   she  whispered.     "  Early  the 


54  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

next  morning  the  doctor  sent  me  off  to  Green  Barn, 
with  a  woman  who  is  his  housekeeper  ;  I  only  came 
back  to-day.  I  expected  a  letter  from  Gregory — 
even  expected  to  see  him.  It's  all  so  funny ;  it  is 
just  as  though  he  had  walked  into  that  study — and 
had  disappeared  from  that  time." 

"  You  mustn't  think  such  things  as  that,"  I  ex- 
claimed hurriedly.  "  A  dozen  things  may  have 
happened ;  he  may  have  been  repulsed  by  the 
doctor,  and  so  have  decided  to  go  away.  If  he 
knew  you  did  not  love  him,  he  would  feel  pretty 
hopeless  about  the  matter." 

"  That  is  possible,  perhaps,"  she  said.  Then, 
suddenly,  she  held  out  her  hand  to  me.  "  I  have 
one  friend  at  least,"  she  said,  "  and  his  name  is 
Mr.  John  New.  It's  a  curious  name,  and  I  shan't 
forget  it.  You  tell  me  that  you  are  in  trouble,  too  : 
so  that  is  a  bond  between  us.     Good-night !  "    i 

I  watched  her  as  she  flitted  away  through  the 
garden.  Even  in  my  relief  at  the  thought  that  she 
did  not  love  Gregory  Pennington,  there  was  the 
dismal  feeling  that  some  day  she  must  learn  the 
truth — the  ghastly  thought  that  I  stood  there, 
actually  in  the  clothes  of  the  dead  man.  The  whole 
business  was  a  nightmare  from  beginning  to  end,  in 
which  alone  she  stood  out  as  something  bright,  and 
fair,  and  unsullied. 

We  were  a  curious  household.  There  were  one  or 
two  rather  scared-looking  servants,  presided  over  by 
a  woman  to  whom  the  doctor  referred  always  as 
"  Leach  "  ;  in  fact,  he  called  her  by  that  name  when 
speaking  to  her.  As  she  was  destined  to  play  rather 
an  important  part  in  that  strange  business  upon 
which  we  were  all  entering,  she  deserves  a  word  or 
two  of  description. 

She  must  have  been  about  forty  years  of  age,  and 
had  once  been,  and  still  was,  in  a  way,  astonishingly 
handsome.    She  was  tall  and  very  dark ;  she  had 


THE  MISSING  MANj  55 

hair  of  that  blue-black  quality  that  is  so  rarely  seen. 
Her  eyes  were  as  brilUant  as  those  of  Dr.  Bardolph 
Just  himself,  save  that  there  was  in  hers  a  curious 
slumbrous  quahty,  quite  unlike  the  sparkle  in  the 
man's.  I  may  best  describe  her  by  saying  that  she 
suggested  to  me  that  in  the  very  soul  of  her  was 
something  lurking  and  waiting  for  expression — some 
smouldering  fire  that  a  touch  or  a  word  might  start 
into  flame. 

So  far  as  I  could  gather,  Dr.  Just  was  exceed- 
ingly contemptible  of  her,  and  treated  her  with  a 
sort  of  bitter  playfulness.  He  seemed  to  take  a 
delight  in  making  her  perform  the  most  menial 
offices  ;  and  to  me  it  was  rather  pitiful  to  see  the 
eagerness  with  which  she  anticipated  his  every  wish 
or  command.  I  did  not  know  at  that  time  what 
bond  there  was  between  them  ;  only,  whenever  I 
think  of  them  in  this  later  time  one  scene  always 
rises  before  my  memory. 

It  was  on  a  morning  soon  after  I  had  arrived  at 
the  house,  and  the  doctor  was  in  a  ferocious  mood. 
Everything  had  gone  wrong,  and  I  had  seen  the 
woman  Leach,  who  ordinarily  waited  behind  his 
chair,  and  by  quick  signs  directed  the  servants 
what  to  do,  cower  under  the  lash  of  his  words  more 
than  once.  It  happened  to  be  at  the  breakfast 
table,  and  I  was  seated  at  one  end,  facing  the 
doctor.  It  was  the  morning  after  that  memorable 
night  when  I  had  talked  with  the  girl  Debora  in 
the  grounds  ;  and  now  she  sat  on  my  right  hand,  at 
one  side  of  the  table,  between  the  doctor  and  myself. 

Absurd  as  the  suggestion  is,  it  almost  seemed  to 
me  that  the  doctor  was  striking  a  balance  between 
the  two  women  for  the  mortification  of  them  both. 
He  pressed  dishes  upon  the  girl,  with  suave 
compliments  at  one  moment,  and  in  the  next 
turned  to  Leach  behind  him  with  what  was  almost 
a  coarse  threat. 


56  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

"  Why  the  devil  don't  you  wait  on  your  young 
mistress  ?  "  he  snapped.  "  What  do  you  think  1 
keep  you  here  for  ?     What  do  I  pay  you  for  ?  " 

He  turned  to  the  table  again,  and,  looking  down 
the  length  of  it,  I  saw  the  woman  swiftly  clench 
and  unclench  her  hands  behind  him,  as  though  she 
would  have  struck  him.  And  if  ever  I  saw  murder 
in  a  face  I  saw  it  then  ;  yet  she  looked  not  at 
tlie  doctor,  but  at  the  bowed  head  of  the  girl 
beside  me. 

"  Come — move — stir  yourself  I  "  cried  the  man, 
bringing  down  his  fist  with  a  bang  on  the  table 
beside  him.  "  Don't  wait  for  the  servants  to  carry 
things ;  carry  them  yourself.  Take  this  dish  to 
your  mistress — Miss  Debora  Match  wick." 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  heard  the  ^rl's  name 
in  full ;  but  I  took  but  little  notice  of  it  then,  so 
interested  was  I  in  watching  the  little  scene  that 
was  going  forward.  While  the  doctor  sat  looking 
at  the  girl,  I  saw  the  woman  behind  him  draw  her- 
self up,  and  I  saw  her  nostrils  dilate  ;  then  she 
seemed  to  swoop  to  the  table,  and  to  catch  up  the 
dish  he  had  indicated.  She  moved  round  slowly  to 
where  the  girl  sat,  and  purposely  handed  the  dish 
from  the  wrong  side.  And  down  came  Bardolph 
Just's  fist  again  on  the  table. 

"  The  other  side,  you  jade  !  "  he  roared  ;  and 
with  a  glance  at  him  she  moved  round,  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  girl  in  the  proper  fashion.  And  the 
face  that  bent  above  the  fair  hair  of  the  girl  was  the 
face  of  a  devil — of  a  soul  in  torment." 

"  I  want  nothing,  thank  you,"  said  Debora  in  a 
low  voice. 

*'  Come,  my  dear  child,  we  shall  have  you  pining 
away  to  a  shadow  if  you  don't  eat,"  broke  in  the 
doctor,  with  a  mocking  smile.  "  Is  it  possible  that 
you  are  fretting  over  something — hungering  for 
someone  ?     We  must  have  a  private  talk  about 


THE   MISSING  MAN.  57 

this  after  breakfast ;  you  must  confide  your  troubles 
to  me.  And  may  I  ask,"  he  went  on,  with  bitter 
pohteness,  as  he  turned  to  the  other  woman,  "  may 
I  ask  why  you  are  standing  in  that  absurd  attitude, 
when  your  mistress  tells  you  she  wants  nothing  ?  " 

The  woman  Leach  turned  away  abruptly,  and 
set  down  the  dish.  Debora  had  risen  from  the 
table,  as  if  to  make  her  escape,  and  the  other  woman, 
after  a  quick  glance  at  her,  was  preparing  to  go 
from  the  room  also.  But  her  humiliation  was  not 
yet  completed  ;  the  doctor  called  her  back. 

"  Wait,  Leach,"  he  said,  and  she  stopped  on  the 
instant.  "  You  are  in  a  tempestuous  humour  this 
morning,  and  that  sort  of  humour  must  be  quelled. 
Ring  the  bell." 

She  gave  a  quick,  nervous  glance  at  him,  and 
then  walked  across  the  room  and  rang  the  bell. 
She  waited,  with  her  eyes  cast  on  the  ground,  until 
a  servant  came  in,  carrying  in  his  hand  a  pair  of 
shoes.  The  doctor  turned  round  in  his  chair,  and 
the  man  carrying  the  shoes  dropped  on  one  knee, 
as  if  to  put  them  on.  But  Bardolph  Just  waved 
him  aside. 

"  You  needn't  trouble  ;  get  up,"  he  said  ;  and  the 
man  rose  from  his  knees,  looking  a  little  bewildered. 
"  Leach,  come  here  !  " 

The  woman  stood  still  for  a  moment,  and  then 
walked  slowly  across  the  floor,  till  she  stood  in  front 
of  him.  He  pointed  to  the  shoes  at  his  feet,  and 
smiled  ;  and  I,  who  had  risen  in  my  place,  stood 
helplessly,  waiting  to  see  what  would  happen. 

It  took  her  quite  a  long  time  to  get  to  her  knees, 
but  she  did  it  at  last,  and  began  to  put  on  the  shoes. 
All  this  time  the  man-servant  stood  gaping,  not 
knowing  whether  to  go  or  stay.  Debora,  too,  had 
paused  at  the  door,  in  amazement  at  the  scene. 
And  in  that  oppressive  silence  the  woman  Leach 
fastened  the  shoes  with  fingers  that  seemed  clumsy 


58  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

enougli  for  that  work.  Nor  were  the  doctor's 
words  likely  to  mend  her  confusion. 

"  You're  precious  slow,  I  must  say  !  What's  the 
matter  with  you  ?  are  you  getting  past  your  work  ? 
You  know  what  happens  to  people  who  are  no 
longer  fit  to  work,  don't  you  ?  We  have  to  cast 
them  out  into  the  street,  to  make  a  living  as  best 
they  can — or  to  die.  There — that'll  do  ;  you've 
been  long  enough  to  fasten  a  dozen  pairs  of  shoes." 

I  think  he  struck  her  with  his  foot  as  she  was 
rising  from  her  knees,  but  of  that  I  cannot  be  sure. 
I  know  that  she  turned  away  abruptly,  but  not 
before  I  had  had  time  to  see  that  those  great  eyes 
of  hers  were  bhnded  with  tears.  Yet  her  gait,  as 
she  went  from  the  room,  was  as  stately  as  ever. 

But  perhaps  the  strangest  being  in  that  strange 
house  at  that  time  was  WiUiam  Capper.  He 
wandered  like  a  lost  spirit,  and  one  never  knew 
quite  where  he  would  appear.  Knowing  what  I 
did  as  to  what  had  become  of  the  dead  man,  this 
man  who  looked  for  him  and  waited  for  him  was  as 
a  ghost  that  would  not  be  laid.  More  than  that, 
he  was  a  ghost  who  might  suddenly  spring  into  live 
flesh  and  blood,  and  tell  what  he  knew. 

The  doctor  seemed  as  disconcerted  by  his  pre- 
sence as  I  was,  and  yet  he  made  no  effort  to  get 
rid  of  the  man.  Capper  wandered  about  the  house 
and  about  the  grounds  just  as  he  pleased,  while 
those  peering  eyes  of  his  seemed  always  to  be 
searching  for  his  master.  But  it  happened  that, 
as  Debora  had  been  sent  away  on  the  very  morn- 
ing following  the  death  of  poor  Gregory  Pennington, 
and  had  only  returned  now,  she  had  not  yet  come 
in  contact  with  the  man  Capper.  I  found  myself 
wondering  what  would  happen  when  she  did. 

She  was  destined  to  meet  him  under  curious 
circumstances.  On  that  morning  which  had  seen 
the  degradation  of  the  woman  Leach  before  us  all, 


THE   MISSING   MAN.  59 

Dr.  Bardolph  Just  called  me  into  that  room  that 
was  half  study  and  half  surgery,  and  told  me  quite 
abruptly  that  he  wanted  me  to  go  down  into  London 
for  him.  I  suppose  my  startled  face  told  its  own 
tale,  for  he  laughed  a  little  contemptuously. 

"  Do  you  imagine  anyone  will  be  seeking  you,  or 
even  expecting  to  find  you  above  ground  ?  "  he 
asked.  "  Can't  you  get  into  your  mind  the  idea 
that  Norton  Hyde  is  dead  and  buried  in  his  own 
prison,  and  that  another  man — John  New — has 
come  alive  in  his  place  ?  People  only  look  for 
what  they  expect  to  find,  my  dear  John  New  ;  you 
are  as  safe  as  though  by  a  miracle  you  had  changed 
your  features.  I  merely  want  you  to  go  down  into 
Holborn,  to  inquire  about  a  certain  scientific  book 
which  was  promised  to  be  sent  to  me  and  has  not 
arrived.  If  it  has  not  already  been  sent,  you  can 
bring  it  back  with  you." 

He  gave  me  the  address,  and  money  wherewith 
to  travel ;  and  I  felt  my  heart  sink  at  the  prospect 
of  going  down,  in  this  bare-faced  fashion,  into  the 
great  world.  In  my  heart  of  hearts  I  determined 
that  I  would  not  go  ;  the  book  might  arrive  in  my 
absence,  anh  the  doctor  might  forget  that  he  had 
sent  me  at  all.  So  I  made  a  feint  of  going,  but  in 
reality  did  not  pass  beyond  the  grounds. 

It  was  a  slumbrous  day  in  early  summer,  and 
the  grounds  being  very  wide  and  extensive,  I  had 
rather  an  enjoyable  forenoon  of  it.  I  determined 
that  I  would  calculate  to  a  nicety  how  long  it  should 
have  taken  me  to  get  down  to  Holborn  and  back 
again,  allowing  a  margin  for  accidental  delays. 
Then  I  would  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  house, 
and  tell  the  doctor  that  I  had  reached  the  shop, 
only  to  find  that  the  book  had  been  sent  off. 

It  may  have  been  some  sentimental  feeling  that 
carried  my  feet  in  the  direction  of  that  dark  and 
half-mined   summer-house ;   or,   as   I    think   now, 


6o  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

some  direct  Providence  guiding  me.  Believing  that 
it  would  be  deserted,  and  that  I  might  kill  time 
there  with  some  comfort,  I  was  making  straight  for 
it  among  the  tangled  grasses  and  dead  leaves  of  the 
garden,  when  I  stopped,  and  drew  away  from  it. 
For  I  had  heard  voices. 

I  make  no  attempt  to  excuse  my  conduct ;  I 
only  urge  that  at  that  time  I  was  surrounded  by 
mysteries,  and  by  trickery  of  every  sort,  and  that 
I  was,  moreover,  in  hiding,  in  peril  of  my  liberty. 
All  the  world  might  be  conspiring  against  me — 
above  all,  those  in  this  house,  with  one  exception, 
might  be  only  too  glad  to  give  me  up  to  justice.  I 
was  fighting  for  myself  ;  I  make  no  excuse  that 
I  crept  near  to  the  summer-house,  and  listened. 
More  than  that,  I  looked  in,  for  through  a  chink  of 
the  ruined  boarding  at  the  back  of  it  I  could  see 
clearly  all  that  happened. 

Debora  Matchwick  was  seated  in  a  corner,  drawn 
up  tense  and  still,  with  her  hands  gripping  the  seat 
on  either  side  of  her  ;  and  in  the  doorway,  with  his 
arms  folded,  completely  blocking  her  way  of  escape, 
stood  the  doctor. 

It  would  seem  that  I  had  arrived  at  the  very 
moment  the  man  had  discovered  her,  for  his  first 
words  referred  to  the  previous  day.  Whatever 
other  words  I  had  heard  had  been  but  a  mere 
skirmishing  before  the  actual  battle  began. 

"  I  lost  you  in  this  direction  yesterday,  Debora," 
said  the  man  ;  "  you  managed  to  elude  me  rather 
cleverly.     What  makes  you  afraid  of  me  ?  " 

"  I — I'm  not  afraid  of  you,"  she  said,  with  more 
bravery  than  she  seemed  to  feel. 

He  laughed  at  her,  showing  his  white  teeth. 
'*  You're  very  much  afraid  of  me,"  he  corrected 
her.  "  And  yet  you  have  no  reason  to  be  ;  we 
should  never  be  afraid  of  those  who  love  us." 

"  You  are  my  guardian,  and  you  were  my  father's 


THE  MISSING  MAN.  6i 

friend,"  she  said  quietly.  "  Beyond  that  guardian- 
ship you  have  nothing  to  do  with  me,  and  I  will 
not " 

"  You  talk  like  a  child,  and  you  have  a  child's 
knowledge  of  the  world,"  he  broke  in  roughly.  "  I 
that  am  a  man  can  teach  you,  as  only  a  man  can 
teach  a  woman,  what  life  and  thejworld  hold  for  her. 
Prudishly  you  step  aside  ;  with  false  modesty  you 
refuse  to  look  at  facts  as  they  are.  You  are  a  child 
no  longer,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  things  ;  and  I  am 
a  man  that  loves  you.     Your  father  liked  me " 

"  To  my  everlasting  sorrow,  he  did  !  "  she  ex- 
claimed passionately. 

"  And  he  would  have  approved  of  the  arrange- 
ment. Above  all  things,  the  management  of  your 
extremely  troublesome  affairs  are  in  my  hands,  and 
if  you  belonged  to  me  the  whole  thing  would  be 
solidified.  I  have  great  power  in  regard  to  your 
fortune  now  ;  I  should  have  greater  powers  then." 

"  It's  the  fortune  that  tempts  you ! "  she  ex- 
claimed, starting  to  her  feet.  "  God  forgive  me  for 
saying  it,  but  my  father  must  have  been  mad  when 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  place  me  in  your  care.  I 
hate  you — but  I'm  not  afraid  of  you.     I  hate  you  !  " 

Bardolph  Just  stepped  forward  quickly,  and  took 
her  prisoner  in  his  arms.  I  had  made  a  sudden 
movement,  recklessly  enough,  to  run  round  the 
summer-house  and  spring  upon  the  man,  as  I  heard 
her  give  a  little  gasping  cry,  when  there  came  a 
strange  interruption  ;  and  it  came  from  outside  and 
from  inside  the  summer-house  almost  at  the  same 
moment. 

I  had  heard  the  doctor  say,  over  and  over  again, 
with  a  sort  of  savage  triumph,  as  he  held  her,  "  You 
shall  love  me  !  You  shall  love  me  !  You  shall  love 
me  !  "  and  I  had  made  that  movement  of  which  I 
speak,  when  there  broke  in  the  sound  of  someone 
singing,  in  a  high  querulous  voice,  and  that  some- 


62  DEAD  MAN*S   LOVE. 

one  was  moving  towards  the  summer-house.  The 
girl  heard  the  sound,  and  she  broke  away  from  the 
man  who  held  her  ;  she  seemed  literally  to  shriek 
out  a  name — 

"  Capper  !  " 

All  the  rest  happened  in  a  flash.  Scarcely  know- 
ing what  I  did,  I  ran  round  and  confronted  them 
all — and  that,  too,  at  the  moment  that  the  girl, 
breaking  from  the  summer-house,  ran  swiftly  to 
where  the  little  grey-headed  old  man  was  emerging 
from  the  trees.  In  her  agitation  she  flung  herself 
at  his  feet,  and  caught  at  his  hands,  and  cried  out 
her  question  : 

"  Capper,  dear,  good  Capper ! — where's  your 
master  ?  " 

We  stood  there  in  silence,  waiting  to  see  what 
would  happ)en.  For  both  Bardolph  Just  and  my- 
self could  have  answered  the  question,  but  what 
was  the  man  Capper  about  to  say  ?  This  was  just 
such  a  crisis  as  I  had  been  expecting  and  fearing  ; 
it  seemed  hours  before  the  little  grey-haired  man, 
who  had  been  looking  down  at  her  in  a  bewildered 
fashion,  made  any  reply. 

"  I  don't — don't  know,"  he  said,  and  he  smiled 
round  upon  us  rather  foolishly,  I  thought. 

"  But,  Capper — you  remember  me,  Capf)er  ;  I  was 
your  master's  friend,"  went  on  the  girl  despairingly. 
"  You  remember  that  Mr.  Pennington  came  to  this 
house — oh  ! — oh,  a  week  ago  !  " 

She  had  risen  to  her  feet,  and  was  staring  into 
his  eyes.  He  put  a  hand  over  those  eyes  for  a 
moment,  and  seemed  to  ponder  something  ;  then 
he  looked  up,  and  slowly  shook  his  head.  "  I  can't 
— I  can't  remember,"  he  said,  "  Something  has 
gone  from  me — here  " — he  laid  the  hand  upon  his 
forehead — *'  and  I  can't  remember." 
*  The  doctor  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  took  a  step 
towards  the  girl ;  of  me  he  seemed  to  take  but  little 


THE   MISSING   MAN.  63 

notice.  "  Don't  worry  the  man,  Debora,"  he  said 
in  a  gentle  tone  ;  "I  can't  make  him  out  myself, 
sometimes.  Why  he  should  remain  here,  where  his 
master  is  not,  I  cannot  understand." 

Both  Just  and  the  girl  spoke  of  the  old  man  in 
hushed  tones,  as  they  might  have  spoken  of  some- 
one who  was  ill.  But  Capper  himself  stood  looking 
smilingly  from  one  face  to  the  other,  as  if  his  eyes 
would  question  them  concerning  this  mystery  in 
which  he  was  involved. 

"  Has  he  been  .here  ever  since  —  since  Mr. 
Pennington  disappeared  ?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you're  talking  about," 
retorted  the  doctor,  with  a  perplexed  frown.  "  Dis- 
appeared ?  How  could  Gregory  Pennington  dis- 
appear ?  I  refused  to  allow  him  to  come  here  ;  I 
have  seen  nothing  of  him  for  some  time." 

I  knew,  of  course,  that  the  doctor  was  keeping 
from  her  the  knowledge  of  the  unfortunate  young 
man's  suicide — I  realised  that  that  knowledge  must 
be  kept  from  her,  for  my  sake  as  well,  unless  disaster 
was  to  fall  upon  me.  But  the  girl  was  looking  at 
Bardolph  Just  keenly,  and  I  wondered  how  he  could 
meet  her  eyes  as  calmly  as  he  did. 

"  The  night  before  1  went  to  Green  Barn  with 
Leach,"  she  said  slowly,  "  I  was  in  these  grounds 
with  Gregory.  And  that  night  he  went  into  the 
house  to  see  you." 

"To  see  me  ?  "  The  doctor  twisted  about  from 
one  to  the  other  of  us  in  apparent  perplexity.  "  To' 
see  me?   I  haven't  seen  the  young  man  for  months." 

"  Then  what,  in  the  name  of  all  that's  wonderful, 
is  Capper  doing  here  ?  "  demanded  Debora,  pointing 
to  that  strange,  smiling  creature,  who  seemed  the 
least  interested  of  any  of  us. 

For  a  moment  even  the  doctor  was  nonplussed, 
for  that  was  a  question  to  which  there  seemed  to 
be  no  possible  answer — or,  at  least,  no  answer  that 


64  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

should  prove  satisfactory.  It  was,  indeed,  the 
strangest  scene,  to  us,  at  least,  who  understood 
the  true  inwardness  of  it  :  that  little  ^rey-haired 
man,  who  might  carry  locked  up  in  his  numbed 
brain  something  that  presently  should  leak  out ; 
the  girl  demanding  to  know  the  reason  oi  his  pre- 
sence there  ;  and  the  doctor  and  myself  with  the 
full  knowledge  of  what  had  really  happened,  and 
of  where  Gregory  Pennington  lay  hidden. 

Bardolph  Just,  however,  was  the  last  man  to  be 
placed  at  a  disadvantage  for  any  length  of  time. 
In  a  moment  or  two  he  laughed  easily,  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  "  Ton  my  word,  I  don't  know  !  " 
he  rephed,  in  reference  to  the  girl's  question.  "  I 
can  make  neither  head  nor  tail  of  him  ;  but  as  his 
master  is  not  here,  I  scarcely  care  to  turn  him  out 
into  the  world  in  his  present  condition." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  him  ?  "  asked  Debora. 
"  I  never  saw  him  hke  this  before." 

"  Can't  say,"  retorted  the  doctor  quickly.  "  But 
I  should  judge  him  to  have  had  a  stroke  of  some 
kind.  At  all  events,  Debora,  I  don't  want  you  to 
think  that  I'm  a  brute  ;  and  as  Gregory  Pennington 
was  a  friend  of  yours — I  should  say,  is  a  friend  of 
yours — the  old  man  shall  stay  here  until — until  his 
master  returns." 

I  noticed  that  Capper  kept  close  beside  the  girl 
as  she  moved  away  towards  the  house  ;  he  looked 
up  at  her  trustingly,  as  a  child  might  have  done 
who  wanted  a  guide.  As  they  walked  away  to- 
gether, Bardolph  Just  stepped  forward  and  laid  a 
hand  on  the  girl's  arm.  I  heard  what  he  said 
distinctly. 

"  I  have  not  said  my  last  word,  by  any  means," 
he  said  in  his  smooth  voice  ;  "  nor  is  this  the  end." 

"  It  is  the  end  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  she 
retorted,  without  slackening  her  pace.  "  You  shall 
be  my  guardian  no  longer  ;  I'll  arrange  something. 


THE  MISSING  MAN.  65 

so  that  I  can  get  out  into  the  world  and  hve  for 
myself  and  in  my  own  fashion." 

"  We'll  see  about  that,"  he  retorted,  between  his 
teeth.     "  Go  to  your  room,  and  remain  there." 

She  gave  him  a  glance  of  contempt,  that  had  yet 
in  it  some  spice  of  fear,  as  she  turned  away  and 
made  for  the  house,  with  old  Capper  trotting  dog- 
like beside  her.  Then  the  doctor  turned  to  me, 
and  although  I  saw  that  there  were  certain  white 
spots  coming  and  going  at  the  edges  of  his  nostrils 
and. on  his  cheek  bones,  he  yet  spoke  calmly  enough 
— indeed,  a  little  amusedly. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that  for  pretty  defiance  ?  " 
he  asked  ;  then,  sinking  his  voice  to  a  lower  tone, 
and  taking  a  step  nearer  to  me,  he  went  on — "  She's 
getting  suspicious  about  that  boy  ;  and  the  mad- 
man who's  gone  off  with  her  now  is  likely  to  cause 
trouble.  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  him,  but  I 
shall  have  to  devise  something.  Don't  forget,  my 
friend,  that  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  you're 
in  the  same  boat  with  me — or  in  a  worse  boat. 
I've  only  cheated  the  authorities  for  your  sake  ; 
/  can  plead  human  sympathy  and  kindliness,  and 
all  sorts  of  things — which  you  can't." 

"  Is  that  a  threat  ?  "  I  demanded,  for  now  my 
gratitude  was  being  fast  swallowed  up  in  a  growing 
dislike  of  the  man. 

"  Yes,  and  no,"  he  replied,  with  a  faint  smile. 
"  I'm  only  suggesting  that  you  will  find  it  wise, 
whatever  happens,  to  fight  on  my  side,  and  on  mine 
only.     I  think  you  understand  ?  '' 

I  answered  nothing ;  I  followed  him,  sa^enly 
enough,  to  the  house.  By  that  time  I  had  quite 
forgotten  the  errand  on  which  I  had  been  sent, 
and  which  I  had  made  no  effort  to  accomplish  ; 
only  when  we  were  near  to  the  house  he  turned 
quickly,  and  startled  me  by  referring  to  it. 

"  By  the  way,  you  had  your  journey  for  nothing," 

£ 


66  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

he  said.  "  The  book  arrived  while  you  were  gone. 
Did  you  meet  with  any  adventures  r  " 

"  None  at  all,"  I  answered  curtly. 

I  was  destined  for  another  adventure,  and  a  more 
alarming  one,  that  night.  There  was  no  ceremony 
used  in  the  doctor's  house,  and  he  made  no  attempt 
to  dress  for  dinner.  For  that  matter,  I  had  not  as 
yet  seen  any  guests,  and  the  doctor,  on  one  or  two 
occasions  at  least,  had  had  his  meals  carried  up  to 
his  study.  So  far  as  dinner  was  concerned,  it 
usually  happened  that  in  the  recesses  of  the  house 
someone  clanged  a  dismal  bell  at  the  time  the  food 
was  actually  put  upon  the  table,  and  I  would  go 
down,  either  to  sit  alone,  or  to  find  the  doctor 
awaiting  me.  You  will  remember  that  the  girl 
Debora  had  been  away  for  the  whole  of  that 
eventful  week. 

The  dining-room  was  dimly  lighted  by  a  big, 
shaded  lamp,  standing  on  the  centre  of  the  table  ; 
so  that  when  I  went  in  on  this  night,  and  looked 
about  me,  I  could  see  figures  seated,  but  could  not 
clearly  distinguish  faces.  The  doctor  I  saw  in  his 
usual  place,  stooping  forward  into  the  hght  of  the 
lamp  to  sup  at  his  soup  ;  I  saw  the  bent  head  of 
the  girl  at  one  side  of  the  table.  I  moved  round 
the  table  to  reach  my  place,  and  as  I  did  so  saw 
that  another  man  was  seated  opposite  the  girl,  so 
making  a  fourth.  I  could  not  see  his  face,  as  it 
was  in  shadow.     I  wondered  who  he  might  be. 

The  doctor  bent  forward,  so  as  to  look  round  the 
lamp  at  me,  called  me  (God  be  praised  for  it !)  by 
that  new  name  he  had  given  me — 

"  John  New,  let  me  introduce  you  to  my  friend, 
Mr.  Harvey  Scoffold." 

I  sat  frozen  in  my  chair,  keeping  my  face  in 
shadow,  and  wondering  what  I  should  do.  For  I 
knew  the  man — had  known  him  intimately  on  those 
occasions  when  I  had  broken  out  of  my  uncle's 


THE  MISSING  MAN.  67 

house  at  night,  and  had  gone  on  wild  excursions.  I 
saw  him  glance  towards  me  ;  I  knew  that  he  knew 
my  history,  and  what  had  become  of  me  ;  and  I 
wondered  how  soon  he  was  to  start  up  in  his  place, 
and  cry  out  who  I  was,  and  demand  to  know  who 
lay  buried  in  my  place.  I  left  my  soup  untasted, 
and  sat  upright,  keeping  my  face  above  the  Ught 
cast  by  the  lamp. 

"  Mr.  Harvey  Scoffold  is  an  old  friend  of  mine," 
said  Bardolph  Just,  "  although  we  have  not  met 
for  some  time.  A  worthy  fellow — though  he  does 
not  take  quite  so  deep  an  interest  in  the  serious 
things  of  hfe  as  I  do." 

"  Not  I,"  exclaimed  the  other  man,  squaring  his 
shoulders,  and  giving  vent  to  a  hearty  laugh  that 
rang  through  the  room.  "  I'm  a  very  butterfly,  if 
a  large  one  ;  and  life's  the  biggest  joke  that  ever  I 
tasted,    I  hope  our  new  friend  is  of  the  same  order  ?  " 

I  mumbled  something  unintelhgible,  and,  after 
looking  at  me  intently  for  a  moment,  he  turned  and 
began  to  speak  to  his  host.  I  think  I  had  just 
decided  that  I  had  better  feign  illness,  and  get  up 
and  make  a  run  for  dear  life,  when  he  staggered  us 
all  by  a  question,  put  in  his  hearty,  careless  fashion. 

"  By  the  way,"  he  said,  looking  from  the  doctor 
to  the  girl,  and  back  again,  "  what's  become  of  that 
youngster  I  used  to  see  here — Gregory  Pennington  ? 
I  took  quite  a  fancy  to  the  boy.  Does  anyone 
know  where Jhe  is  ?  " 


CHAPTER   IV. 

A   LITTLE   WHITE  GHOST. 

With  the  putting  of  that  most  awkward  question 
as  to  what  had  become  of  Gregory  Pennington,  it 
may  be  said  that  a  sort  of  bombshell  fell  into  our 
midst.  I  leaned  further  back,  determined  to  gain 
what  respite  I  could  in  the  shadows  of  the  room 
before  the  inevitable  discovery  should  fall  up>on 
me  ;  and  of  the  four  of  us  only  the  girl,  Debora 
Matchwick,  leaned  forward  eagerly,  peering  round 
the  lamp  at  the  man  who  had  asked  the  question. 

"  That's  what  we  want  to  know,"  she  said,  in  a 
quick,  nervous  voice.     "  Gregory  has  disappeared." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  It  was  the  doctor  who  broke  in 
testily,  still  keeping  his  face  in  shadow.  "  You 
mustn't  get  such  ideas  into  your  head,  child.  Young 
men,  strong,  and  well,  and  healthy,  don't  disappear 
in  that  fashion.  I  ordered  him  away  from  the 
house,  and  he  has  respected  my  wishes.  Don't  let 
me  hear  such  nonsensical  talk  again.*' 

The  girl  drew  back,  with  a  little  quick  sigh,  and 
for  a  moment  or  two  there  was  an  abashed  silence 
on  the  part  of  Scoffold  and  myself.  But  Scoffold 
was  never  the  man  to  be  abashed  long  by  anything  ; 
in  a  moment  or  two  he  leaned  his  big  body  forward 
over  the  table,  so  that  I  saw  his  face  fully  in  the 
light  of  the  shaded  lamp,  and  glanced  quickly  from 


*''^ 


A  LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  69 

one  to  the  other  of  us,  and  began  to  put  questions. 
And  with  each  question  it  seemed  that  he  probed 
the  matter  more  deeply. 

"  But  tell  me,  what  had  my  young  friend  done 
to  be  forbidden  the  house  ?  "  he  asked.  Then, 
answered  in  a  fashion  by  the  silence  about  him,  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  spread  out  his  great 
hands  deprecatingly. 

"  Oh,  I'm  sorry  !  "  he  went  on.  "  I  see  that  I'm 
prying  into  secrets,  and  that  was  never  my  way 
at  all.  Only  I  was  interested  in  Gregory — a  fine 
fellow,  with  a  future  before  him.  A  little  reckless, 
perhaps — a  little  given  to  the  spending  of  money  ; 
but  then,  that  is  ever  a  fault  of  the  young.  If  I 
did  not  wish  to  pry  into  secrets,"  he  added  a  little 
maliciously,  as  he  peered  round  the  lamp  at  the 
girl,  "  I  might  suggest  that  perhaps  his  disappear- 
ance may  have  had  something  to  do  with  Miss 
Debora  here — eh  ?  There  are  so  many  hearts  to 
be  broken  in  this  world  of  pretty  faces.  Miss 
Debora." 

The  girl  sat  rigid  and  silent ;  presently  the  man 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  again,  with  a  little  laugh, 
as  the  servants  entered  with  the  next  course.  I 
saw  the  woman  Leach  hovering  about  near  the 
doorway  ;  I  wondered  if  we  were  to  have  another 
such  scene  as  we  had  had  that  morning.  But 
nothing  happened  until  the  servants  had  gone,  with 
Leach  following  last.  Then  this  unlucky  guest  had 
another  word  to  say. 

"  I  see  you  still  keep  your  faithful  retainer,"  said 
Harvey  Scoff  old,  with  a  jerk  of  his  great  head 
towards  the  door.  "  Remarkable  woman,  that — 
and  quite  devoted  to  you,  doctor," 

"  Servants  are  servants,  and  are  kept  in  their 
places,"  retorted  Bardolph  Just  coldly. 

"  But,  my  dear  Just,"  broke  m  the  irrepres- 
sible one  again,    "  Leach   is  surely  more    than  ^ 


70  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

servant.  How  many  years  has  she  been  with 
you  ?  *' 

"  I  haven't  taken  the  trouble  to  count,"  re- 
phed  the  doctor.  "  Shall  we  change  the  conver- 
sation ?  " 

Mr.  Scoffold  abruptly  comphed,  by  turning  his 
attention  to  me,  somewhat  to  my  dfismay.  "  Do 
you  belong  to  these  parts,  Mr. — Mr.  John  New  ?  " 
he  asked. 

I  murmured  in  a  low  tone  that  I  belonged  to 
London,  and  as  I  spoke  I  saw  him  lean  forward 
quickly,  as  if  to  get  a  better  glimpse  of  me  ;  but  I 
obstinately  kept  my  face  in  shadow. 

"  Ah  !  "  he  went  on.  "  London's  a  fine  place, 
but  with  temptations.  I  often  think  that  it  would 
be  well  if  we  could  prevent  young  men  from  ever 
going  to  London  at  all — let  'em  wait  until  they 
have  reached  years  of  discretion,  and  know  what 
the  world  is  like.  I've  seen  so  much  in  that  direc- 
tion— so  many  lives  that  have  gone  down  into  the 
shadows,  and  never  emerged  again.  I  could  give 
you  a  case  in  point — rather  an  interesting  story,  if 
you  would  not  be  bored  by  it."  He  glanced  round 
the  table  amid  silence. 

Now,  I  knew  instinctively  what  story  he  was 
going  to  tell,  before  ever  he  said  a  word  of  it ; 
I  knew  the  story  was  my  own.  I  sat  there, 
spellbound  ;  I  strove  to  get  a  glimpse  of  Bardolph 
Just  at  the  further  end  of  the  table,  but  he  did  not 
move,  and  the  only  face  of  the  four  of  us  that  could 
be  seen  was  the  face,  animated  and  smiling,  of 
Harvey  Scoffold. 

"  The  story  is  a  little  sad — and  I  detest  sad 
things,"  the  man  began,  "  but  it  has  the  merit 
of  a  moral.  You  are  to  imagine  a  young  man,  of 
good  education,  and  with  a  credulous  and  doting 
old  man — an  uncle,  in  fact — as  his  sole  guardian. 
He  rewards  the  credulous  old  man  by  robbing  him 


A  LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  71 

right  and  left,  and  he  spends  the  proceeds  of  his 
robberies  in  vicious  haunts  in  London." 

I  may  here  interpolate  that  the  only  vicious 
haunt  I  had  known  in  London  had  been  the 
house  of  Mr.  Harvey  Scoff  old,  and  that  most 
of  the  money  I  had  stolen  had  gone,  in  one  way 
and  another,  into  his  jackets — but  this  by  the 
way. 

"  His  name  was  Norton  Hyde,"  went  on  Scoffold. 
"  I  beg  your  pardon — did  you  speak  ?  "  This  last 
was  to  the  doctor,  who  had  leaned  forward,  so 
that  I  saw  his  face  clearly,  and  had  uttered  an 
exclamation. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  Pray  proceed  with  your 
story."  He  leaned  sideways,  under  pretence  of 
filling  his  glass,  and  gave  me  a  warning  glance  down 
the  length  of  the  table. 

"  Well,  this  Norton  Hyde  paid  the  penalty,  in 
due  course,  of  his  crime,"  went  on  Scoffold,  leaning 
back  in  his  chair  again.  "  He  was  sentenced  to  a 
certain  term  of  penal  servitude,  served  part  of  it, 
escaped  from  his  prison " 

"  The  story  is  well  known,  and  we  need  hear  no 
more,  my  dear  Scoffold,"  broke  in  the  doctor.  "  I 
don't  want  to  shock  Miss  Debora,  nor  to  have  her 
shocked." 

"  But  I  am  interested,"  said  the  girl,  leaning 
forward.     "  Please  go  on,  Mr.  Scoffold." 

"  You  hear — she's  interested,"  said  the  man  with 
a  smile,  as  he  leaned  forward  again,  and  looked 
round  the  lamp  at  the  girl.  "  It's  very  dreadful, 
but  very  fascinating.  You  must  know,  then,  Miss 
Debora,  that  the  fellow  broke  prison,  and  made  a 
desperate  attempt  to  get  back  to  London  ;  reached 
a  house  somewhere  on  its  outskirts  ;  and  then,  being 
evidently  hard  pressed,  gave  up  the  game  in  despair, 
and  committed  suicide." 

"  Poor,  poor  fellow  !  "  commented  the  girl,  in  a 


72  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

low  tone  ;  and  I  felt  my  heart  go  out  to  her  in 
gratitude. 

"  And  that  was  the  end  of  him,"  went  on  Mr. 
Scoffold,  with  a  snap  of  the  fingers.  "  They  carried 
him  back — dead — to  his  prison  ;  and  they  buried 
him  within  its  walls.     So  much  for  Buckingham  !  " 

"  Now,  perhaps,  you  can  contrive  to  talk  of  some- 
thing a  little  more  pleasant,"  said  the  doctor  testily. 
"  You've  given  us  all  the  horrors,  with  your  talk  of 
imprisonments,  and  suicides,  and  what  not.  You 
used  to  be  pleasant  company  at  one  time,  Harvey." 

"  And  can  be  so  still,"  exclaimed  the  other  lightly. 
"  But  I'm  afraid  it's  this  dark  room  of  yours  that 
gave  that  turn  to  the  conversation  :  one  sits  in 
shadow  among  shadows.  May  I  move  this  lamp, 
or  may  I  at  least  take  the  shade  off  ?  "  He  put  a 
hand  to  it  as  he  spoke. 

H  ever  I  had  trembled  in  my  life,  I  trembled 
then  ;  but  I  sat  rigid,  and  waited,  trusting  in  that 
stronger  man  at  the  further  end  of  the  table.  Nor 
was  my  trust  in  him  betrayed. 

"  Leave  the  lamp  alone,"  he  said  sharply.  "  It's 
not  safe  to  be  moved  ;  it's  rather  an  old  one,  and 
shaky.     Besides,  I  prefer  this  light." 

"  You  always  were  a  queer  fellow,"  said  Scoffold, 
dropping  back  into  his  seat  again.  "  And  to-night 
you're  a  dull  one.  I  swear  I  couldn't  endure  your 
company,"  he  proceeded  with  a  laugh,  "  if  it  were 
not  for  the  charming  lady  who  faces  me,  and  who  is 
mostly  hidden  by  your  beast  of  a  lamp.  Even  our 
friend,  Mr.  New  here,  hasn't  a  word  to  say  for 
himself ;  but  perhaps  he'll  come  out  stronger  under 
the  influence  of  one  of  your  cigars  presently." 

I  vowed  in  my  heart  that  there  should  be  no 
cigars  for  me  that  night  in  his  company ;  my  brain 
was  active  with  the  thought  of  how  best  I  could 
escape.  I  was  perplexed  to  know  how  it  was  that 
he  had  not  remembered  that  it  was  in  this  very 


A  LITTLE  WMlTE  GHOST.  73 

house,  according  to  the  tale,  that  Norton  Hyde 
had  committed  suicide  ;  but  for  that  point,  lie  had 
the  whole  thing  in  chapter  and  verse.  I  was  com- 
forted, however,  by  the  thought  that  it  was  to  the 
interests  of  Bardolph  Just  to  help  me  out  of  the 
scrape  ;  I  saw  that  he  was  as  much  astonished  to 
learn  that  Harvey  Scoffold  knew  me  as  I  was  to 
find  the  man  in  that  house. 

But  for  my  desperate  strait,  I  must  have  been 
amused  at  the  doctor's  perplexity.  I  saw,  just  as 
surely  as  though  he  had  stated  it  in  words,  that  he 
was  working  hard  at  that  puzzle  :  how  to  get 
Norton  Hyde  out  of  that  room  unobserved.  For- 
tunately for  the  solution  of  that  problem,  he  must 
have  known  how  eager  I  was  to  get  away  ;  and 
presently  he  contrived  the  business  in  the  simplest 
fashion. 

We  had  come  near  to  the  end  of  the  dinner,  and 
it  was  about  time  for  Debora  to  leave  us.  I  knew 
that  he  dreaded  that  if  she  got  up  it  would  mean  a 
breaking-up  of  our  relative  positions  at  the  table, 
and  I  must  be  discovered.  I  was  dreading  that, 
too,  when  relief  came. 

"  I  say.  New,"  he  called  to  me  down  the  length 
of  the  table,  "  I  know  you  have  that  business  of 
which  you  spoke  to  clear  up  to-night.  We're  all 
friends  here,  and  we'll  excuse  you." 

I  murmured  my  thanks,  and  got  up,  designing  to 
pass  behind  Harvey  Scoffold,  and  so  escape  observa- 
tion. But,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  Debora  saw 
in  the  movement  an  opportunity  for  her  own  escape  ; 
she  rose  quickly,  and  the  inevitable  happened. 
Harvey  Scoffold  blundered  to  his  feet  to  open  the 
door. 

And  there  we  were  in  a  moment,  above  the  light 
of  the  lamp,  and  all  making  for  the  door  together  ; 
for  the  doctor,  in  his  consternation,  had  risen  also. 
Scoffold  got  to  the  door  before  me,  and  held  it  open 


74  MAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

for  the  girl ;  and  for  one  disastrous  moment  I  hesi- 
tated. For  there  was  a  Hght  outside  in  the  hall, 
and  I  dared  not  face  it.  Properly,  of  course,  I 
should  have  followed  the  girl  with  my  face  averted  ; 
but  even  in  that  I  blundered,  and  so  found  myself 
suddenly  looking  into  the  eyes  of  Harvey  Scoffold, 
as  he  stood  there  holding  the  door. 

It  was  as  though  he  had  seen  a  ghost.  He  gasped, 
and  took  a  step  back  ;  and  the  next  moment  I  was 
out  of  the  room,  and  had  pulled  the  door  close  after 
me.  Even  as  I  did  so,  I  heard  his  voice  raised 
loudly  and  excitedly  in  the  room,  and  heard  the 
deeper  tones  of  Bardolph  Just. 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  and  I  looked  about 
me  for  the  quickest  way  of  escape.  I  was  groping 
in  the  dark,  as  it  were,  because  I  did  not  even  know 
whether  the  man  was  a  chance  visitor,  and  I  might 
safely  hide  in  some  other  room  of  the  house,  or 
whether  he  was  staying  there,  and  so  could  leave 
me  no  choice  but  to  get  away  alt(^ether.  And 
while  I  hesitated,  my  mind  was  made  up  for  me, 
as  it  has  been  so  often  in  my  life,  in  the  most  curious 
fashion. 

I  saw  that  Debora  had  stopped  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs,  and  was  looking  back  at  me  ;  and  in  a 
moment,  in  the  thought  of  her,  I  forgot  my  own 
peril.  I  took  a  step  towards  her,  and  she  bent  her 
head  towards  mine,  as  she  stood  a  step  or  two  above 
me  on  the  stairs,  and  whispered — 

"  For  the  love  of  God,  don't  leave  me  alone  in 
this  house  to-night !  " 

Then  she  was  gone,  before  I  could  make  reply, 
and  I  was  left  there,  standing  helplessly  looking 
after  her. 

In  that  moment  I  lost  my  chance.  The  dining- 
room  door  was  opened,  and  the  two  men  came  out 
quickly  ;  it  seemed  to  me  that  Harvey  Scoffold  was 
speaking  excitedly,  and  that  the  doctor,  who  had 


A  LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  75 

a  hand  on  his  arm,  was  striving  to  soothe  him.  I 
made  a  dart  for  the  stairs — too  late,  for  the  voice 
of  Scolfold  called  me  back. 

"  Here,  don't  run  away  ;  I  want  to  talk  to  you  !  " 
he  cried.     "  There's  a  mystery  here " 

"  Not  so  loud  !  "  exclaimed  the  doctor  sternly,  in 
a  low  tone.  "  If  you've  anything  to  say,  don't 
shout  it  in  the  hall  in  that  fashion.  I  trust  we're 
gentlemen  ;  let  us  go  and  talk  quietly  in  my  study. 
John,  you  know  the  way — lead  on.'" 

So,  knowing  well  what  was  to  follow,  I  went  on 
up  the  stairs,  until  I  came  to  the  door  of  that  room 
that  was  half  study  and  half  surgery  ;  I  opened  the 
door  and  went  in.  To  gain  time,  I  went  to  the 
further  end  of  it,  and  stood  looking  out  of  the 
window  into  the  darkness.  I  calculated  that  it 
might  be  a  drop  of  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  if  he 
drove  me  too  far  and  I  had  to  take  flight.  I  was 
prepared  for  everything,  and  had  for  the  moment — 
God  forgive  me  ! — clean  forgotten  what  the  girl  had 
said  to  me.  The  two  other  men  came  into  the  room, 
and  the  door  was  closed.  I  heard  the  doctor  speak 
in  his  most  genial  tones. 

"  Now,  my  dear  Harvey,  let's  understand  what 
bee  you  have  in  your  bonnet.  What's  this  about 
an  escaped  convict — and  in  my  house  ?  If  I  didn't 
know  you  better,  I  should  suggest  that  my  wine 
had  been  too  much  for  you." 

"  Don't  bluff,  doctor  :  it  would  be  far  better  to 
ask  our  friend  there  to  show  us  his  face  clearly.  If 
a  man's  honest  he  doesn't  turn  his  "back  on  his 
friends.'' 

At  that  I  threw  discretion  to  the  winds  ;  I  faced 
round  upon  him  savagely.  "  Friends ! "  I  ex- 
claimed bitterly.  "  When  were  you  ever  a  friend 
to  me,  Harvey  Scoffold  ?  " 

The  man  laughed,  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
*'  Truly  you  are  indiscreet,"  he  said,  with  a  triun^^ 


76  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

phant  glance  at  the  doctor.  "  But  youth  is  ever 
impatient,  and  one  cannot  expect  that  you,  of  all 
men,  should  be  cautious.  You  never  were.  Come 
— can't  we  sit  down  and  talk  quietly,  and  see  what 
is  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  There  is  nothing  to  be  done — at  least  nothing 
that  concerns  you,"  said  Bardolph  Just  quickly,  as 
he  stopped  in  the  act  of  pulling  open  that  drawer 
in  his  desk  which  held  the  cigars.  "  What  in  the 
world  is  it  to  do  with  you  ?  " 

"  Oh-o !  so  you  are  in  the  swim,  too,  eh  ? "  ex- 
claimed Scoffold,  turning  upon  him  with  raised 
eyebrows.  "  I  thought  it  possible  that  you  might 
have  been  deceived — that  our  friend  here  might 
have  come  upon  you  suddenly,  and  induced  you  to 
help  him,  without  your  knowing  who  he  was." 

The  doctor  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  took  out 
a  cigar.  In  the  act  of  biting  the  end  of  it  with  his 
sharp  white  teeth  he  looked  at  the  other  man  with 
a  smile  that  was  deadly — it  was  as  though  he 
snarled  over  the  cigar.  "  I  knew  all  about  our 
friend  here  from  the  beginning,"  he  said.  "  Be 
careful,  Harvey  ;  you  know  me  by  this  time,  and 
you  know  it's  better  to  have  me  for  a  friend  than 
an  enemy.  Once  more  I  warn  you  not  to  ask  ques- 
tions, and  not  to  interfere  in  what  does  not  concern 
you.     Take  a  cigar,  and  sit  down  and  smoke." 

Scoffold  took  the  cigar,  and  stood  for  a  moment 
or  two,  while  he  lighted  it,  looking  from  one  to  the 
other  of  us,  as  though  weighing  the  matter  care- 
fully in  his  mind.  He  voiced  his  feeUngs  as  he  put 
the  match  to  the  cigar,  and  puffed  at  it. 

*'  Norton  Hyde  escai>ed  from  prison  " — puff — 
"  Norton  Hyde  hangs  himself  " — puff — "  Norton 
Hyde  is  duly  sat  upon  by  a  coroner  and  a  jury  " — • 
puff — "  Norton  Hyde  is  buried  in  a  prison  grave." 
He  looked  at  the  hghted  end  of  his  cigar  carefully, 
and  tossed  the  match  from  \mi\-    "  And  yet    my 


A  LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  ^'j 

dear  friend,  Norton  Hyde,  stands  before  me.  Any 
answer  to  that  puzzle  ?  "  He  looked  at  me  and  at 
the  doctor,  and  laughed  quietly. 

Truly  the  game  appeared  to  be  in  his  hands,  and 
I  knew  enough  of  him  to  know  that  he  was  a  man 
to  be  feared.  It  was,  of  course,  a  mere  coincidence 
that  the  man  who  had  helped  me  to  my  ruin  was 
a  friend  of  this  man  upon  whose  hospitality  I  had 
so  unceremoniously  flung  myself  ;  nor  did  it  mend 
matters  to  know  that  he  was  a  friend  of  the  dead 
boy.  I  think  we  both  waited  for  his  next  remark, 
knowing  pretty  well  what  it  would  be. 

"A  natural  answer  springs  up  at  once  to  the 
puzzle,"  he  went  on,  seeming  literally  to  swell  his 
great  bulk  at  us  in  his  triumph.  "  Some  man  was 
buried  as  Norton  Hyde — some  man  who  must  have 
been  able  to  pass  muster  for  him.  What  man  could 
that  have  been  ?  " 

"  You're  getting  on  dangerous  ground  :  I  tell  you 
you'd  better  let  it  alone,"  broke  in  the  doctor 
warningly. 

But  the  other  man  went  on  as  though  the  doctor 
had  not  spoken.  "  Some  man  lies  in  that  grave, 
who  has  disappeared,  and  for  whom  no  enquiry  has 
been  made.  Now,  who  can  that  man  be  ?  What 
man  is  there  that  hasn't  been  seen  for  some 
days — what  man  is  there  that  is  being  looked  for 
now  ?  " 

In  the  tense  silence  of  the  room,  while  the  man 
looked  from  one  to  the  other  of  us,  absolutely 
dominating  the  situation,  there  came  an  interrup- 
tion that  was  so  terrible,  and  so  much  an  answer  to 
what  the  man  was  asking,  that  I  could  have  shrieked 
out  like  a  frightened  woman.  Behind  him,  where  he 
stood,  I  saw  the  door  of  the  study  slowly  opening, 
and  then  the  smiling  face  of  the  little  grey-haired 
man  looked  round  it.  Scoff  old  did  not  see 
him  ;   only  the   doctor  and  I  turned  our  startled 


78  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE.  ^. 

faces  to  the  smiling  face  of  Capper.    And  Capper 
spoke — 

"  Forgive  me,  gentlemen  " — and  Scoffold  swung 
round  on  the  words  and  faced  him — "  I'm  looking 
for  my  master,  Mr.  Pennington.'* 

"  Gregory  Pennington,  by  the  Lord !  "  shouted 
Harvey  Scoffold,  with  a  great  clap  of  his  hands 
together. 

The  doctor  turned  quickly  to  the  door.  I  saw 
him  thrust  Capper  outside,  and  close  the  door,  and 
turn  the  key  in  it.  He  put  the  key  in  his  pocket, 
and  his  eyes  looked  dangerous ;  he  was  as  a  man 
driven  at  bay. 

"  Well,  you  think  you've  made  some  great  and 
wonderful  discovery,"  he  snapped.  "  Perhaps  you 
have — at  all  events,  yon  shall  know  the  truth  of  the 
matter  from  beginning  to  end.  I'll  keep  nothing 
back." 

*'  You  can't,  you  know,"  sneered  the  other,  drop- 
ping his  great  bulk  into  an  arm-chair,  and  puffing 
luxuriously  at  his  cigar. 

I  stood  with  my  back  to  the  window  while  the 
doctor  told  the  story.  He  told  it  from  beginning 
to  end,  and  quite  clearly.  Of  the  coming  of  the 
disappointed  Gregory  Pennington  to  the  house, 
after  an  interview  with  the  girl ;  of  that  mad,  rash 
act  of  the  unsuccessful  lover ;  of  the  finding  of  him 
hanging  dead.  He  told  of  my  coming,  and  painted 
a  Httle  luridly  my. desperate  threats  and  pleadings  ; 
told  of  how  he  had  given  way,  and  had  dressed 
poor  Gregory  Pennington  in  my  shameful  clothes. 
When  he  had  finished  the  narrative  Harvey  Scoffold 
nodded,  as  if  satisfied  with  that  part  of  it,  and  sat 
for  a  time  smoking,  while  we  awaited  what  he  had 
to  say. 

"  It  never  struck  me  that  it  was  in  this  house 
the  convict  (as  the  newspapers  called  him)  hanged 
b^mself,"  h?  sai4  at  l^st,     "  Upon  my  word,  th§ 


Little  white  Ghost.         79 

puzzle  fits  together  very  neatly.  But  what  happens, 
my  friends,  when  someone  enquires  for  young 
Pennington  ?     For  instance,  myself." 

"  You've  no  purpose  to  serve,"  I  broke  in  quickly. 

He  laughed,  and  shook  his  head  gaily.  "  Not  so 
fast,  my  young  friend,  not  so  fast !  "  he  answered 
me.  "  I  may  have  an  axe  to  grind — I  have  ground 
many  in  my  time.  Besides — putting  me  right  put 
of  the  question — what  of  the  girl  ?  How  do  you 
silence  her  ?  " 

"  I  can  find  a  way  even  to  do  that,"  replied  the 
doctor  in  a  low  voice.  "  Only  let  me  warn  you 
again,  Harvey  Scoffold,  we  are  desperate  men  here 
— or  at  least  one  of  us — fighting  for  something 
more  even  than  liberty.  I  am  fighting  to  keep 
this  innocent  girl's  name  out  of  the  business,  and 
to  keep  scandal  away  from  this  house.  Let  Norton 
Hyde  rest  in  his  grave  ;  Gregory  Pennington  is  not 
likely  to  be  enquired  for.  He  was  young  and  rest- 
less ;  he  may  have  gone  abroad — enlisted — any- 
thing. That's  our  tale  for  the  world,  if  questions 
are  asked." 

"It  only  occurs  to  me  that  the  virtuous  uncle  of 
our  young  friend  here — the  man  who  was  robbed 
so  audaciously — would  give  a  great  deal  to  know 
that  the  nephew  who  robbed  him  was  at  large," 
suggested  Harvey  Scoffold  musingly  over  his  cigar. 

I  took  a  quick  step  towards  him.  "  You  wouldn't 
dare  !  "  I  exclaimed  threateningly. 

He  held  up  a  large  protesting  hand.  "  My  dear 
boy,  I  am  your  friend  ;  I  was  always  your  friend. 
You  are  quite  safe  with  me,"  he  said.  Yet  I  knew 
that  he  hed. 

He  made  one  other  comment  on  the  matter 
before  wisely  leaving  the  subject  alone.  "  It  seems 
to  me  strange,"  he  observed,  with  a  furtive  look  at 
the  doctor,  "  that  you  should  be  so  willing  to  help 
our  young  friend  here — a  man  you  have  never  seen." 


So  DEAD  MAN*S  LOVE. 

"  I  do  that,"  replied  the  other  quickly,  "  because 
in  that  way  I  can  cover  up  the  miserable  business 
of  young  Pennington.  Unless  you  speak,  it  is 
scarcely  likely  that  anyone  else  will  ever  drag  that 
business  into  the  Hght  of  day.  Both  Gregory 
Pennington  and  our  friend  here  happen  to  nave 
been  particularly  alone  in  the  world  :  in  neither 
case  is  there  anyone  who  is  likely  to  make 
awkward  inquiries." 

"  Always  excepting  the  girl,"  Harvey  Scoffold 
reminded  liim.  "  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  you 
have  nothing  to  fear  from  me  ;  I  shall  merely  be 
an  amused  spectator  of  the  little  comedy  ;  I  don't 
know  yet  exactly  how  it's  going  to  end.'' 

He  was  tactful  enough  to  say  no  tiling  more  then, 
and  we  presently  drifted,  almost  with  cheerfulness, 
into  some  more  ordinary  conversation.  Yet  I  saw 
that  the  man  watched  us  both  from  between  half- 
closed  eyelids  while  he  smoked  and  lounged  in  his 
chair ;  and  I  was  far  from  comfortable.  It  was  late 
when  the  doctor  rose,  and  with  a  glance  at  the 
clock  said  that  he  had  still  much  work  to  do  before 
he  could  sleep.  He  unlocked  the  door ;  at  which 
hint  Harvey  Scoffold  and  I  left  him  for  the  night. 

The  excitement  of  the  meeting  had  quite  thrust 
out  of  my  mind  the  question  whether  the  man  was 
stopping  in  the  house  or  had  merely  come  there  as 
a  chance  visitor  ;  but  the  question  was  answered 
now,  when  Harvey  Scoffold  told  me  that  he  had  a 
long  walk  before  him,  and  was  glad  that  the  night 
was  fine.  I  felt  some  sudden  uphfting  of  the  heart 
at  the  thought  that  at  least  I  should  be  reheved  of 
his  presence,  only  to  feel  that  heart  sinking  the  next 
moment,  at  the  remembrance  that  he  would  be  free 
to  spread  his  news  in  the  outer  world,  if  he  cared  to 
do  so.  For  it  must  be  understood  that  my  public 
trial,  and  all  the  disclosures  thereat,  had  given  to 
the  world  the  address  of  my  uncle,  and  my  own 


A  LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  8i 

movements  on  those  secret  expeditions  of  mine  ;  it 
was  possible  for  Harvey  Scoffold  to  put  that  veiled 
threat  of  his  into  instant  execution. 

I  knew,  moreover,  that  he  was  a  dangerous  man, 
by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  was  chronically  in 
want  of  money,  and  had  never  hesitated  as  to  the 
methods  employed  to  obtain  it.  However,  there 
was  no  help  for  it  now  ;  the  murder  was  out,  and  I 
could  only  trust  to  that  extraordinary  luck  that  had 
befriended  me  up  to  the  present. 

I  walked  with  him  out  into  the  grounds,  and  he 
shook  hands  with  me  at  parting,  with  some  cor- 
diality. "  You  have  had  a  miraculous  escape,  dear 
boy,"  he  said,  in  his  jovial  fashion,  "  and  you  are 
quite  a  little  romance  in  yourself.  I  shall  watch 
your  career  with  interest.  And  you  have  nothing 
to  fear — I  shall  be  as  silent  as  the  grave  in  which 
you  ought  to  be  lying." 

He  laughed  noisily  at  that  grim  jest,  and  took 
his  way  down  the  road  in  the  direction  of  London. 
I  went  back  into  the  house  and  went  to  my  room, 
and  slept  heavily  until  late  the  next  morning. 

The  doctor  had  left  the  house  when  I  went  down 
to  breakfast,  and  I  had  a  dim  hope  that  I  might 
see  the  girl  alone.  But  she  did  not  put  in  an  appear- 
ance, nor  did  I  see  anything  of  her  until  the  even- 
ing, when  the  doctor  had  returned,  and  the  three 
of  us  sat  down  to  dinner.  I  had  been  roaming 
desolately  about  the  grounds,  smoking  the  doctor's 
cigars,  and  inwardly  wondering  what  I  was  going 
to  do  with  the  rest  of  the  life  that  had  been  mira- 
culously given  back  to  me  ;  and  I  did  not  know  at 
what  hour  Bardolph  Just  had  returned.  Yet  I  had 
a  feeling  that  there  had  been  some  strange  interview 
between  the  doctor  and  the  girl  before  I  had  come 
upon  the  scene — and  a  stormy  interview  at  that. 
Bardolph  Just  sat  at  his  end  of  the  table,  grim  and 
silent,    with   his   brows   contracted,   and   with  his 

F 


82  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

habitual  smile  gone  from  his  lips  ;  the  girl  sat  white 
and  silent,  sipping  a  little  wine,  but  touching  no 
food.  During  the  course  of  a  melancholy  meal  no 
single  word  was  heard  in  the  room,  for  the  doctor 
did  not  even  address  the  servants. 

At  the  end  of  the  meal,  however,  when  the  girl 
rose  to  quit  the  room,  the  doctor  rose  also,    and 
barred  her  way.     "  Stop  !  "  he  said  quickly.     "I've 
got  to  speak  to  you.     We'll  have  this  matter  cleared . 
up — once  and  for  .ill." 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,"  she  replied,  lookmg 
at  him  steadily.  "  My  answer  is  what  it  has  always 
been— No  !  " 

"  You  can  go,  John  New,"  said  the  man  harshly, 
turning  towards  me.  "I  want  to  talk  to  Miss 
Matchwick  alone." 

"  No,  no  !  "  exclaimed  the  girl,  stretching  out 
lier  hands  towards  me  ;  and  on  the  instant  I  stopped 
on  my  way  to  the  door,  and  faced  about. 

But  the  doctor  took  a  quick  step  towards  me, 
and  opened  the  door,  and  jerked  his  head  towards 
the  hall.     "  I  am  master  here,"  he  said.     "  Go  !  " 

I  saw  that  I  should  not  mend  matters  by  remain- 
ing, but  I  determined  to  be  witliin  call.  I  passed 
quickly  along  the  hall  after  the  door  was  closed  ;  I 
knew  that  just  within  the  great  hall  door  itself  was 
another  smaller  door,  opening  to  a  verandah  which 
ran  round  the  front  of  the  dining-room  windows,  on 
the  old-fashioned  early  Victorian  model.  I  knew  that 
the  windows  were  open,  and  I  thought  that  I  might 
by  good  fortune  both  see  and  hear  what  went  on 
in  the  room. 

And  so  it  turned  out.  I  slipped  through  that 
smaller  door,  and  came  on  to  the  verandah ;  and  so 
stood  drawn  up  in  the  shadows  against  the  side  of 
the  window,  looking  in  and  listening. 

"  I  have  given  you  the  last  chance,"  the  doctor 
was  saying,  "  and  now  I  shall  trouble  you  no  more. 


A  LITTLE  WHITE   GHOST.  83 

There  is  another  way,  and  perhaps  a  better  one.  I 
have  treated  you  well.  I  have  offered  to  make  you 
my  wife — to  place  you  in  the  position  your  father 
would  have  been  glad  to  see  you  occupy.  Now  I 
have  done  with  you,  and  we  must  try  the  other 
way.     Look  into  my  eyes  !  " 

Then  I  saw  a  curious  thing  happen.  At  first, 
while  the  man  looked  intently  at  her  with  those  extra- 
ordinarily bright  eyes  of  his,  she  covered  her  own 
with  her  hands,  and  strove  to  look  away  ;  but  after 
a  moment  or  two  she  dropped  her  hands  helplessly, 
and  shivered,  and  looked  intently  at  him  full.  It  was 
like  the  fascination  of  some  helpless  bird  by  a  snake. 
I  saw  her  sink  slowly  into  a  chair  behind  her  ;  and 
still  she  never  took  her  eyes  from  those  of  the 
doctor,  until  at  last  her  lids  fell,  and  she  seemed 
to  lie  there  asleep.  Then  I  heard  the  man's 
voice  saying  words  that  had  no  meaning  for  my 
ears  at  that  time. 

"  You  will  not  sleep  well  to-night,  little  one,"  he 
said,  in  a  curious  crooning  voice.  "  You  will  rise 
from  your  bed,  and  you  will  come  out  in  search  of 
something.     Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

Very  softly  she  answered  him  :  "  Yes,  I  under- 
stand." 

"  You  will  be  restless,  and  you  will  seek  to  get 
out  into  the  air.  But  all  the  doors  will  be  bolted, 
and  the  windows  fastened.  So  you  will  turn  to  the 
eastern  corridor  and  will  pass  along  there  to  the 
end  wall.     Do  you  understand  ?  " 

And  again  she  murmured  :    "  Yes,  I  understand." 

"  And  then  you  will  walk  on— into  the  air.  You 
will  do  this  at  midnight." 

She  murmured,  "  At  midnight  "  ;  and  on  a  sudden 
he  snapped  his  fingers  violently  three  times  before 
her  eyes,  and  she  sprang  up,  wide  awake,  and  stared 
at  him,  looking  at  him  in  perplexity. 

"  You've  been  asleep  for  ever  so  long,"  he  said, 


84  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

with  a  smile.  "  You  must  be  tired ;  go  to  your 
room." 

She  looked  at  him  in  a  dazed  fashion,  and  passed 
her  hand  across  her  forehead.  "  What  were  we 
speaking  of  ?  '*  she  asked  him,  as  though  referring 
to  the  conversation  they  had  had  before  he  had 
sent  her  into  that  species  of  trance. 

"  Nothing — nothing  that  matters  now,"  he  said, 
moving  towards  the  door. 

Fearing  that  he  might  come  in  my  direction  after 
he  had  sent  her  from  the  room,  I  vaulted  over  the 
railing  of  the  verandah,  which  was  only  raised  a 
few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground.  And  so 
presently  came  round  by  the  side  entrance  into  the 
house,  and,  as  was  my  custom,  went  up  to  the 
doctor's  study  to  smoke  with  him. 

I  found  him  pacing  up  and  down,  chewing  the 
butt  of  a  cigar  that  had  long  gone  out.  He  glanced 
up  quickly  when  I  entered,  and  jerked  his  head 
towards  the  open  drawer  in  the  desk  where  the 
cigars  were. 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  take  your  cigar  and  smoke 
it  elsewhere  to-night,"  he  said.  "  I  have  work  to 
do,  and  I  am  very  busy.    Good-night." 

I  longed  to  stop  and  talk  with  him — cursed  my 
own  impotent  position,  which  gave  me  no  chance  of 
trying  conclusions  with  him  and  befriending  the 
girl.  I  remembered  bitterly  the  words  she  had 
said  to  me  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  on  the  pre- 
vious night,  when  she  had  begged  me  not  to  leave 
her  alone  in  that  house.  So  I  went  away,  reluctantly 
enough,  to  smoke  my  cigar  elsewhere. 

I  wandered  down  into  the  dining-room,  and 
dropped  into  a  chair,  and  closed  my  eyes.  Sud- 
denly I  remembered  that  it  was  that  chair  into 
which  the  girl  had  dropped  when  the  doctor  had 
said  those  words  I  did  not  understand.  I  sat  up, 
very  wide  awake,  remembering. 


A   LITTLE  WHITE  GHOST.  85 

She  was  to  walk  along  the  eastern  corridor,  and 
was  to  come  to  a  wall  at  the  end.  And  yet  she 
was  to  walk  out  into  the  air  !  What  did  it  all  mean  ? 
What  trick  was  the  man  about  to  play  upon  her  ? 
What  devilry  was  afoot  ? 

I  got  up  at  once,  and  threw  away  my  cigar,  and 
set  off  to  explore  the  house.  I  wanted  to  know 
where  this  eastern  corridor  was,  if  such  a  place 
existed,  and  what  was  meant  by  the  doctor's  words. 
I  went  up  to  my  own  room  first,  and  made  out,  as 
well  as  I  could,  by  remembering  which  way  the  sun 
rose,  and  other  matters,  in  what  direction  the  house 
was  situated  ;  and  so  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
room  to  which  I  had  been  assigned  was  at  the  end  of 
the  eastern  corridor,  nearest  to  the  great  bulk  of 
the  house.  Which  is  to  say,  that  if  I  stood  in  the 
doorway  of  my  room,  and  faced  the  corridor,  the 
other  rooms  of  the  house  would  be  on  my  right 
hand,  while  on  my  left  the  corridor  stretched  away 
into  darkness,  past  rooms  that,  so  far  as  I  knew, 
were  unoccupied. 

Lest  by  any  chance  my  windows  should  be 
watched,  I  lit  the  lamp  in  my  room  and  left  it  ;  then 
I  came  out  into  the  corridor,  and  closed  the  door. 
I  looked  over  the  head  of  the  great  staircase  ;  the 
house  was  in  complete  silence,  though  not  yet  in 
darkness.  Listening  carefully,  I  moved  away  swiftly 
into  the  gathering  darkness  to  the  left,  until  at  last, 
at  the  end  of  the  corridor,  my  outstretched  hand 
touched  the  wall.  This  was  exactly  as  it  should  be, 
according  to  the  doctor's  words.  I  now  turned 
my  attention  to  the  wall  itself,  and  found  that  it  was 
recessed — much  as  though  at  some  time  or  other  it 
had  been  a  window  that  had  been  bricked  up.  I 
could  make  nothing  of  it,  and  I  went  back  to  my 
room,  sorely  puzzled. 

I  must  have  a  torpid  brain,  for  I  was  ever  given 
to  much  sleeping.     On  this  occasion  I  sarik  dqwi^ 


86  DEAD  MAN*S  LOVE.. 

into  a  chair,  intending  to  sit  there  for  a  few  minutes 
and  think  the  matter  out.  In  less  than  five,  I  was 
asleep.  When  I  awoke  I  felt  chilled  and  stiff,  and  I 
blamed  myself  heartily  for  not  having  gone  to  bed. 
While  I  yawned  and  stretched  my  arms,  I  became 
aware  of  a  curious  noise  going  on  in  the  house. 
With  my  arms  still  raised  above  my  head,  I  stopped 
to  listen. 

Whatever  noise  it  was  came  from  the  end  of  the 
corridor  where  I  had  found  that  blank  wall.  Some 
instinct  made  me  put  out  the  light  ;  then  in  the 
darkness  I  stole  towards  the  door,  and  cautiously 
opened  it.  Outside  the  corridor  was  dark,  or  seemed 
to  be  at  my  first  glance  ;  I  dropped  to  my  knees, 
and  peered  round  the  edge  of  the  door,  looking  to 
right  and  left. 

To  the  right  all  was  in  darkness ;  the  ser\'ants 
had  gone  to  bed,  after  extinguishing  the  lights  and 
locking  up.  To  the  left,  strangely  enough,  a  faint 
light  shone  ;  and  as  I  turned  my  eyes  in  that  direc- 
tion I  saw  that  a  small  hand-lamp  was  standing  on 
the  floor,  and  that  above  it  loomed  the  figure  of  a 
man,  casting  a  grotesque  shadow  on  the  walls  and 
ceiling  above  him.  I  made  enough  of  the  figure 
to  know  that  it  was  the  doctor,  and  that  he  was 
working  hard  at  that  end  wall. 

I  was  puzzling  my  brains  to  know  what  he  was 
doing,  and  was  striving  hard  to  connect  his  pre- 
sence there  with  what  he  had  said  to  the  girl,  when 
I  heard  a  grinding  and  a  creaking,  and  suddenly  the 
lamp  that  stood  beside  him  was  blown  out  in  a  gust 
of  wind  that  came  down  the  corridor  and  touched 
my  face  softly  as  I  knelt  there.  Then,  to  my  utter 
amazement,  I  saw  the  night  sky  and  the  stars  out 
beyond  where  that  end  wall  had  been. 

I  had  just  time  to  get  back  into  my  room  and  to 
close  the  door,  when  the  doctor  came  tiptoeing 
back  along  the  corridor,  and  vanished  like  a  shadow 


A   LITTLE  WHITE   GHOST.  ^y 

into  the  shadows  of  the  house.  I  waited  for  a  time, 
and  then  struck  a  match,  and  looked  at  the  Httle 
clock  on  the  mantelpiece.  It  wanted  four  minutes 
of  niidnight. 

i  opened  the  door  again,  and  looked  out  into  the 
corridor  ;  then,  on  an  impulse,  I  stole  along  towards 
that  newly-opened  door,  or  whatever  it  was,  and, 
coming  to  it,  looked  out  into  the  night.  It  was  at 
a  greater  height  from  the  ground  than  I  had  thought 
possible,  because  on  that  side  of  the  house  the 
ground  shelved  away  sharply,  and  there  was  in 
addition  a  deep,  moat-like  trough,  into  which  the 
basement  windows  looked.  More  than  ever  puzzled, 
I  was  retracing  my  steps,  when  I  heard  a  slight  sound 
at  the  further  end,  like  the  light  rustle  of  a  garment 
mingled  with  the  swift  patter  of  feet. 

I  will  confess  that  my  nerves  were  unstrung,  and 
they  were  therefore  scarcely  prepared  for  the  shock 
they  had  now  to  endure.  For  coming  down  the 
corridor,  straight  towards  where  I  stood  drawn  up 
against  the  wall,  was  a  little  figure  in  a  white  gar- 
ment, and  with  fair  flowing  hair  over  its  shoulders ; 
and  that  figure  came  swiftly  straight  towards  that 
new  door  which  opened  to  the  floor.  While  I  stood 
there,  paralysed  by  the  sight,  certain  words  floated 
back  to  my  mind. 

"  You  will  be  restless,  and  you  will  seek  to  get 
out  into  the  air.  But  all  the  doors  will  be  bolted, 
and  the  windows  fastened.  So  you  will  turn  to  the 
eastern  corridor,  and  will  pass  along  there  to  the 
end  wall  .  .  .  and  then  you  will  walk  on  into  the 
air.  .  .  .  You  will  do  this  at  midnight !  " 

With  a  great  horror  upon  me,  I  leapt  in  a  moment, 
though  dimly,  to  what  was  meant.  The  girl  was 
walking  to  her  death,  and  walking  in  her  sleep.  In 
what  devilish  fashion  Bardolph  Just  had  contrived 
the  thing,  or  what  ascendency  he  had  gained  over 
her  that  he  could  suggest  the  very  hour  at  which 


88  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

she  should  rise  from  her  bed  and  do  it,  I  did  not 
understand  ;  but  here  was  the  thing  nearly  accom- 
plished. She  was  within  a  couple  of  feet  of  the 
opening,  and  was  walking  straight  out  into  the  air 
at  that  giddy  height,  when  I  sprang  forward  and 
caught  her  in  my  arms, 

She  shrieked  once — a  shriek  that  seemed  to  echo 
through  the  night  ;  then,  with  a  long  sobbing  cry, 
she  sank  into  my  arms,  and  hid  her  face  on  my 
shoulder.  And  at  the  same  moment  I  heard  a 
door  open  down  below  in  the  house,  and  heard  run- 
ning footsteps  coming  towards  me.  I  knew  it  was 
the  doctor,  and  I  knew  for  what  he  had  waited. 


CHAPTER  V. 

I  AM  DRAWN  FROM  THE  GRAVE. 

You  are  to  picture  me,  then,  standing  in  that  wind- 
swept corridor,  open  at  one  end  to  the  stars,  and 
holding  in  my  arms  the  sobbing  form  of  Debora 
Matchwick,  and  waiting  the  coming  of  Dr.  Bar- 
dolph  Just.  I  awaited  that  coming  with  no  trepida- 
tion, for  now  it  seemed  as  though  I  stood  an  equal 
match  for  the  man,  by  reason  of  this  night's  work  ; 
for  if  someone  had  shouted  "  Murder !  "  in  the 
silence  of  the  house,  the  thing  could  not  have  been 
proclaimed  more  clearly.  I  saw  now  that  in  that 
trance  into  which  he  had  thrown  her  he  had  by 
some  devilish  art  suggested  to  the  girl  what  she 
should  do,  and  at  what  hour,  and  then  had  thrown 
open  the  end  of  the  corridor,  that  she  might  step 
out  to  her  death. 

Exactly  how  much  she  suspected  herself,  or  how 
much  she  had  had  time  to  grasp,  since  the  moment 
when  I  had  so  roughly  awakened  her,  I  could  not 
tell ;  but  she  clung  to  me,  and  begged  me  incoher- 
ently not  to  let  her  go,  and  not  to  let  the  man  come 
near  her.  Feeling  that  the  thing  must  be  met 
bravely,  I  got  my  arm  about  her,  and  advanced 
with  her  down  the  corridor  to  meet  the  doctor. 

He  came  with  a  Ught  held  above  his  head  ;  he 
was  panting  from  excitement  and  hurry.     I  know 

89 


90  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

that  he  expected  to  run  to  the  end  of  that  corridor, 
and  to  look  out,  and  to  see  what  should  have  lain 
far  below  him ;  but  he  came  upon  us  advancing 
towards  him  instead,  and  he  stopped  dead  and 
lowered  his  light. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  he  stammered. 

"  You  should  know  that  best,"  I  answered  him 
boldly.  "  Death  might  have  been  the  matter. 
With  your  leave,  I'll  take  this  lady  to  her  room." 

He  stood  back  against  the  wall,  and  watched  us 
as  we  went  past  him.  His  brows  were  drawn  down, 
and  his  eyes  were  glittering,  and  the  faint  white 
line  of  his  teeth  showed  between  his  lips.  In  that 
attitude  he  remained,  like  some  figure  turned  to 
stone,  while  I  drew  the  girl  along,  and  down  the 
stairs  ;  I  had  to  ask  her  the  way  to  her  room,  for, 
of  course,  I  did  not  know  it.  Coming  to  it  at  last, 
I  took  her  cold  hands  in  mine  and  held  them  for  a 
moment,  and  smiled  as  cheerfully  as  I  could. 

"  This  is  not  the  time  for  explanations,"  I  said  ; 
"  leave  all  that  till  the  morning.  Go  to  bed,  and 
try  not  to  remember  anything  that  has  happened  ; 
and  lock  your  door." 

I  heard  the  key  turn  in  the  lock  before  I  came 
away  ;  not  till  then  did  I  retrace  my  steps  back  to 
the  corridor.  I  was  scarcely  surprised  to  find  the 
man  standing  almost  in  the  same  attitude- -only 
now  his  head  had  lowered  a  little,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  musing.  Without  moving  he  looked  up  at 
me,  and  a  queer  sort  of  grin  spread  over  his 
features. 

"  Smart  man ! "  he  whispered,  with  a  sneer. 
"  How  did  it  happen  ?     How  much  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  More  than  you  would  have  me  know  ?  "  I 
rephed.  "  Would  it  not  be  well  to  fasten  up  that 
door  again  ?  "  I  jerked  my  head  in  the  direction 
of  the  end  of  the  corridor. 

Without  a  word  he  handed  the  lamp  to  me,  and 


DRAWN   FROM  THE   GRAVE.  91 

started  towards  the  opening.  He  went  so  quickly 
that  I  thought  for  the  moment  he  meant  to  hurl 
himself  upon  that  death  he  had  intended  for  the 
girl ;  but  he  stopped  at  the  end,  and  seemed  to  be 
fumbling  with  the  doors. 

By  that  time  I  had  reached  him,  and,  with  the 
aid  of  the  lamp,  I  could  see  that  there  were  two 
heavy  doors  opening  inwards  and  fastened  with  a 
great  bar  that  dropped  across  them,  and  with  bolts 
at  the  top  and  at  the  bottom.  Quite  as  though  he 
had  forgotten  the  incidents  of  the  night,  he  turned 
to  me,  and  gave  an  explanation  of  the  doors. 

"  There  used  to  be  an  iron  staircase  against  the 
wall  of  the  house,  leading  down  from  here  at  one 
time,"  he  said.  "  It  was  the  whim  of  some  former 
owner.     I  found  these  doors  by  accident.'' 

"  And  opened  them  with  a  purpose,"  I  reminded 
him. 

He  said  nothing  in  reply.  Having  secured  the 
doors,  he  motioned  to  me  to  go  in  front,  which  I 
did,  carrying  the  light,  and  in  that  order  we  came 
to  my  room.  I  would  have  handed  him  the  lamp 
at  the  door,  but  he  motioned  to  me  to  go  in,  and, 
following  himself,  closed  the  door.  I  set  down  the 
lamp,  and  waited  for  what  he  had  to  say.  He  was 
a  long  time  coming  to  it ;  he  wandered  about  the 
room  for  a  time,  stopping  now  and  then,  with  his 
back  to  me,  and  with  his  finger  tracing  out  the 
pattern  of  the  wall  paper.  When  at  last  he  spoke 
he  was  still  tracing  that  pattern,  and  he  did  not 
look  round. 

"  You  have  done  me  a  service  to-night,  and  one 
I'm  not  likely  to  forget,"  he  said. 

"  A  service  ?  "  I  asked  in  amazement.  "  I 
should  scarcely  have  thought  you'd  call  it  that," 

"  I  do — I  do  ! "  he  exclaimed,  swinging  round  upon 
me  suddenly.  "  I  meant  to  kill  her,  and  you've 
saved  me  from  that.    I  thank  my  God  for  it !  " 


92  DEAD    MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I  don't  believe  you,"  I  said  doggedly.  "  You 
planned  the  thing  too  well  for  that." 

"  I  did  not  plan  it,  except  by  the  opening  of  the 
doors,"  he  said.  "  I  knew  that  she  walked  in  her 
sleep  sometimes,  and  I  thought " 

"  You  lie  !  "  I  exclaimed  fiercely.  "  I  watched 
you,  and  heard  you  while  you  suggested  to  her  that 
she  should  walk  in  this  eastern  corridor  at  midnight, 
and  should  come  to  the  end  wall.  And  you  knew 
tliat  there  would  be  no  wall  there.'' 

He  looked  at  me  in  a  bewildered  fashion  for  what 
seemed  a  long  time  ;  then  he  nodded  slowly  twice. 
"  So  you  heard  that,  did  you  ?  Well,  I  suppose 
there's  nothing  for  it  but  confession.  I  did  plan 
the  thing ;  it  was  by  a  method  you  don't  under- 
stand— what  we  call  hypnotic  suggestion.  That 
means  that  you  tell  a  person  that  they  are  to  do  a 
certain  thing  at  a  certain  hour,  and  when  that  hour 
arrives  they  must  inevitably  set  about  to  do  it." 

"  Why  did  you  want  to  kill  her  ?  " 

"  Why  do  we  always  desire  to  crush  the  thing 
that  we  can't  possess  ?  "  he  snapped  back  at  me. 
"  Because  I  love  her — because  I  would  sell  my 
immortal  soul — if  I  have  one — to  bend  her  or  break 
her  to  my  will.  You  are  a  sleepy  dolt,  understand- 
ing nothing  of  passions  such  as  sway  stronger  men  ; 
you  are  not  likely  to  understand  this.  But  she 
maddens  me  when  she  sticks  that  pretty  chin  of 
hers  in  the  air,  and  I  see  the  contempt  flash  out  of 
her  eyes.  If  you  saw  so  much,  you  probably  saw 
the  beginning  of  it,  when  she  said  she  would  have 
nothing  further  to  do  with  me,  and  threatened  to 
get  away  out  of  the  house.  Then  the  thought  came 
over  me  that  I  would  put  an  end  to  it  all ;  and  I 
made  that  suggestion  to  her  that  she  should  walk 
here  to-night  ;  and  I  came  first,  and  opened  the  old 
doors.     I  thank  God  you  saved  her  !  " 

He  suddenly  dropped  his  head  in  his  hands  and 


DRAWN   FROM   THE   GRAVE.  93 

groaned  aloud  ;  and  my  heart  melted  a  little  with 
pity  for  him.  I  guessed  something  of  what  a  stormy 
nature  was  hidden  in  the  man  ;  and  I,  who  thought 
I  had  read  something  of  love  in  her  eyes  for  me, 
could  afford  to  pity  the  man  to  whose  pleadings  she 
turned  a  deaf  ear.  Fool  that  I  was,  I  did  not 
realise  the  cunning  of  the  creature  who  stood  with 
hidden  face  before  me  ;  I  did  not  understand  that 
this  was  but  a  bit  of  play-acting,  to  put  me  off  my 
guard.     I  was  to  learn  all  that  later. 

"  Do  you  think  you'll  help  your  case  by  such 
a  business  as  this  of  to-night  ?  "  I  asked.  "  It's  a 
poor  way  to  make  love,  to  strive  to  kill  the  woman." 

"  She  won't  know  anything  about  it  ;  she  won't 
guess,"  he  exclaimed  eagerly,  looking  up  at  me. 
"  She  does  not  know  that  I  suggested  to  her  what 
to  do  ;  she  will  only  wonder  at  finding  the  doors 
open.  I  can  give  some  explanation  of  that,  if 
necessary." 

"  And  what  will  you  do  now  ?  "  I  asked  him,  as 
I  lighted  my  own  lamp  and  put  his  into  his  hand. 

"  Give  up  the  game,"  he  replied,  with  a  faint 
smile.  "  This  has  taught  me  a  lesson  to-night  ;  it 
has  shown  me  how  near  the  best  of  us  may  come 
to  a  crime.  I  am  sincere  in  that ;  I  thank  you 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  what  you've  done. 
The  lover  in  me  is  gone  ;  henceforth  I'm  her  guar- 
dian and  the  friend  of  her  dead  father.  There's  my 
hand  on  it !  " 

I  looked  into  his  eyes,  and  once  again  I  believed 
him  ;  I  began  to  feel  that  I  had  misjudged  the 
man.  True,  his  hand  was  cold  enough  in  my  grasp, 
but  I  paid  no  heed  to  that ;  I  seemed  to  see  only 
before  me  a  changed  and  humbled  man.  He  wished 
me  "  Good-night !  "  with  much  cordiality,  and  went 
off  to  his  own  room.  For  my  part,  I  felt  some- 
thing of  a  missionary,  and  congratulated  myself 
upon  the  night's  work. 


94  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  see  Debora 
as  early  as  p)ossible  on  the  following  morning.  I 
was  anxious  to  know  what  impression  that  start- 
ling occurrence  of  the  previous  night  had  made 
upon  her.  I  wanted  to  see  her  before  there  was 
any  possibility  of  Bardolph  Just  confronting  her  ; 
and  in  that  I  was  successful. 

It  was  a  very  fine  morning,  and  I  supposed  that 
I  should  find  her  in  the  grounds.  I  felt  that  I 
might  reasonably  expect  that  she  would  make  her 
way  to  that  summer-house  in  which  we  had  met 
and  talked  before  ;  and  in  that  also  I  was  right. 
Quite  early,  before  breakfast  was  announced,  I 
came  upon  her  in  the  morning  sunlight ;  and  for  a 
long  time,  as  it  seemed,  we  held  hands  without 
a  word. 

"  You  slept  well  ?  "  I  asked  her. 

She  nodded  brightly.  "  Better  than  I  should 
have  done,  I  suppose,"  she  said,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but 
then,  I  was  sure  of  my  friend — certain  that  no  harm 
could  come  to  me.  How  much  have  you  to  tell  me 
of  last  night  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  I  said,  shaking  my  head.  "  There  is 
nothing  that  you  need  be  told,  now  that  every- 
thing is  ended.  For  the  future  you  have  to  trust 
to  me — just  as  you  trusted  last  night.  You  said  I 
was  your  friend  ;  and  I  am  going  to  look  after  you." 

"  That  makes  me  very  happy.  By  the  way,  what 
am  I  to  call  you  ?  "  she  asked  artlessly. 

I  felt  the  colour  mounting  in  my  cheeks.  "  You 
know  my  name,"  I  said. 

"  Yes — John,"  she  replied,  and  we  both  laughed. 

Now  this  is,  of  course,  all  very  shameful,  and  I 
had  no  right  to  be  standing  there,  holding  her 
hands,  and  letting  her  talk  to  me  in  that  fashion  ; 
but  I  did  not  remember  then  what  I  was,  or  from 
what  I  had  come.  Indeed,  it  is  more  than  possible 
that  if  I  had  remembered  I  should  scarcely  have 


DRAWN   FROM   THE  GRAVE.  95 

changed  my  attitude,  for  but  little  joy  had  ever 
come  into  my  life.  I  merely  set  this  down  here, 
in  order  to  record  the  fact  that,  save  for  one  lament- 
able lapse,  we  were  "  John  "  and  "  Debora  "  to 
each  other  from  that  day  forward. 

But  I  had  some  instructions  to  give  her  for  her 
own  safety.  She  listened  attentively  while  I  gave 
them. 

"  You  had  better  not  refer  to  last  night  at  all," 
I  said.  "  Let  the  doctor  imagine  that  you  have 
forgotten  about  it,  or  at  least  have  believed  that 
it  was  some  ugly  dream.  Meet  him  as  usual — 
show  him,  if  anything,  a  little  more  kindness  than 
you  have  done." 

"  I  can't  do  that,"  she  said  hastily. 

"  You  must ;  it  is  imperative,"  I  urged.  "  I  can 
tell  you  this,  at  least  :  I  have  his  promise  that  he 
will  not  molest  you  again,  and  that  he  will  be  for 
the  future  simply  your  guardian,  and  nothing  else." 

"  He  said  that  ?  "  she  asked  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,  and  I  believe  he  means  it,"  I  answered 
steadily. 

"  I  don't  believe  it,  John  ;  it's  a  trick,"  she  said, 
shaking  her  head.  "  I've  seen  too  much  of  him  ;  I 
know  him  too  well.  He  is  trying  to  throw  you  off 
the  scent.  Don't  you  understand  how  helpless  we 
both  are  ?  You  tell  me  that  you  are  in  his  power, 
because  he  knows  something  about  your  past  life  : 
how  can  you  fight  against  him,  or  help  me  ?  " 

"  I  can,  and  I  will,"  I  assured  her.  "  And  you 
can  help,  by  being  discreet,  and  by  waiting  until  we 
have  an  opportunity  to  do  something  in  concert." 

She  promised  faithfully  that  she  would  do  that, 
and  she  left  me,  with  a  smile  and  a  wave  of  the 
hand.  I  followed  her  slowly  to  the  house,  and 
found  the  doctor  in  his  usual  place  at  the  break- 
fast table,  talking  quietly  to  her.  The  woman 
Leach  was  behind  him,  as  usual. 


96  DEAD    MAN'S  LOVE. 

It  became  obvious,  in  a  minute  or  two,  that 
Bardolph  Just  was  anxious  to  find  out  how  much 
she  remembered,  or  how  much  she  understood,  of 
the  events  of  the  previous  night ;  he  had  already 
begun  to  question  Debora  Cautiously.  He  appeared 
to  be  in  a  genial  mood,  and  yet  in  a  softened  mood  ; 
he  gave  me  a  smile  as  I  took  my  place. 

"  So  you  slept  well  ?  "  said  Bardolph  Just  to  the 
girl,  as  he  leaned  towards  her.  "  Not  disturbed  by 
anything  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head,  and  looked  at  him  with 
raised  eyebrows  of  perplexity  ;  truly  I  felt  that  she 
had  learnt  her  lesson  well.  "  What  should  disturb 
me  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  nothing  !  "  he  replied,  evidently  at  a 
loss.  "  Only  I  thought  that  there  was  some  noise 
in  the  house  last  night ;  I  almost  went  out  to  investi- 
gate.    But,  of  course,  if  you  heard  nothing " 

It  happened  that  at  that  moment  I  glanced  up 
over  his  head,  and  I  saw  the  woman  behind  him 
turn  a  swift  glance  out  of  those  dark  eyes  of  hers 
at  the  girl ;  it  was  but  a  momentary  thing,  and  then 
her  eyes  were  cast  down  in  the  usual  humble  fashion  ; 
but  in  that  instant  I  had  read  something  that  I  had 
not  understood  before.  I  read  not  only  hatred  of 
the  girl,  and  defiance  of  her  ;  I  saw,  as  clearly  as 
though  it  had  been  written,  that  she  knew  of  the 
events  of  the  night  before,  and  that  she  knew  that 
the  girl  was  not  speaking  the  truth.  I  wondered 
exactly  what  had  happened,  or  in  what  way  she 
had  gained  her  knowledge  :  I  was  to  learn  that 
swiftly  enough. 

Somewhat  later  in  the  forenoon,  I  was  prac- 
tically alone  in  the  house.  I  knew  that  Debora 
had  gone  off  into  the  grounds  with  a  book,  and  I 
did  not  care  to  disturb  her.  Bardolph  Just  had 
gone  down  into  London  on  business.  I  was  loung- 
ing at  my  full  length  in  an  easy  chair  in  the  dining- 


DRAWN   FROM  THE  GRAVE.  97 

room,  smoking,  and  reading  the  newspaper,  when 
the  door  opened  softly,  and  Martha  Leach  came  in. 
I  did  not  turn  my  head,  but  I  saw  her  moving 
round  the  room  in  a  large  mirror  hanging  on  the 
wall  opposite  my  chair.  Indeed,  our  eyes  met  in 
that  mirror,  before  they  met  elsewhere.  She  stopped, 
and,  somewhat  to  my  surprise,  spoke. 

"  You  are  a  very  brave  man,"  she  said,  with  a 
quick  glance  at  the  long  windows,  as  though  fear- 
ing interruption.     "  And  a  strong  man,  too." 

"  Who  told  you  that  ?  "  I  asked,  without  shifting 
my  position. 

"  No  one  tells  me  anything,  and  I  don't  need  to 
be  told,"  she  answered.  "  I  find  out  things  for 
myself  ;  I  watch,  and  discover." 

I  seemed  to  have  a  dim  inkling  of  what  was 
coming,  but  I  think  my  face  betrayed  nothing. 
I  lowered  the  newspaper  to  my  knee,  and  went  on 
smoking,  and  watching  her  in  the  mirror. 

"  I  saw  you  last  night  in  the  eastern  corridor  ;  I 
saw  you  catch  that  girl  just  in  time,"  she  went 
on,  in  the  same  breathless  sort  of  whisper.  "  A 
moment  later,  and  that  would  have  been  death." 

"  You  seem  to  know  a  great  deal  about  it,"  I 
answered.  "  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  something 
else." 

She  laughed  insolently,  and  shrugged  her  shoulders. 
I  kept  my  eyes  upon  her  in  the  mirror.  "  Anything 
you  Hke,"  she  replied. 

"  Then  tell  me  how  you  could  see  anything  that 
happened  in  the  eastern  corridor  last  night,"  was 
my  answer. 

"  I  was  in  the  grounds — I  had  been  there  a  long 
time,"  she  whispered,  her  eyes  growing  more  excited. 
"  I  did  not  know  about  the  door  ;  I  only  knew  that 
something  was  going  to  happen,  because  the  doctor 
kept  moving  about  all  the  evening.  I  watched  him 
go  out  of  his  room — I  mean  that  I  saw  the  light 

G 


98  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

disappear,  and  knew  that  he  had  not  put  it  out ; 
I  saw  it  go  across  the  windows  as  he  moved.  I 
thought  he  was  going  to  your  room,  and  so  I  went 
round  there  ;  and  then  I  saw  your  hght  go  out. 
And  then,  as  by  a  miracle,  I  saw  that  waU  open, 
and  the  doctor  stood  there,  hke  a  spirit.  I  saw 
liim  before  the  Hght  was  puffed  out.  Then  I  waited 
to  see  what  would  happen." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  were  satisfied  with  what  you 
saw  ?  "  I  said  carelessly. 

She  snapped  her  fingers  quickly,  and  laughed. 
"  Bah  !  you  think  you  will  put  me  off  ;  you  think 
I  don't  understand,"  she  said.  "  I  tell  you  I  saw 
you  come  to  that  door  and  look  out  ;  I  saw  you  in 
the  starlight.  And  then  I  saw  her  come  ;  heard  the 
shriek  ;  saw  you  catch  her  in  your  arms.  After 
that,  the  fastening  of  the  door  by  the  doctor,  while 
you  held  the  lamp.  And  yet  this  morning  " — her 
voice  changed  to  a  tone  of  bitter  irony — "  this 
morning,  if  you  please,  no  one  knows  anything 
about  it,  and  everyone  has  slept  well.     Bah  !  " 

Sho  snapped  her  fingers  again,  and  it  seemed 
almost  as  if  she  waited  to  know  what  I  should  say. 
But  I  realised  that  this  woman  was  an  intimate  of 
the  doctor  ;  and  it  was  my  business,  then,  to  fear 
everyone  in  that  house,  save  Debora.  So  I  went 
on  smoking,  and,  still  without  turning  my  head, 
talked  to  the  woman  I  saw  in  the  mirror. 

"  Have  you  anything  else  to  say  ?  "  I  asked 
calmly. 

"  Oh  !  a  great  deal,"  she  flashed  back  at  me, 
forgetting  the  cautious  voice  in  which  she  had 
sp>oken.  "  I  want,  first  of  all,  to  know  who  you 
are,  and  how  you  come  to  be  in  this  house  so 
mysteriously  and  so  suddenly  ;  for  who  saw  you 
arrive  ?  That  I  shall  discover  some  day  for  myself. 
I  discover  everything  in  time.  And  I  want  to  tell 
you  soi;nething." 


DRAWN  FROM  THE  GRAVE.  99 

She  moved  a  step  nearer  to  my  chair,  and  now  I 
turned  my  head  and  looked  into  her  eyes. 

"  He  did  not  succeed  last  night ;  but  perhaps  the 
next  time  he  will  not  fail.  So  surely  as  I  stand 
here,  so  surely  do  I  know  that  he  will  kill  her."  She 
nodded  her  head  with  incredible  swiftness  two  or 
three  times,  and  drew  back  from  me,  with  her  lips 
tightly  pursed. 

I  lost  control  of  myself  in  the  sudden  shock  of 
her  words ;  I  sprang  to  my  feet.  "  What  do 
you  mean  ?  "  I  asked  in  horror.  "  What  do  you 
know  ?  " 

"  Only  what  I  have  said,"  she  mocked  at  me,  as 
she  made  for  the  door.  "  I  would  advise  you,  Mr. 
Mysterious,  to  look  well  after  this  girl  you  love — 
this  frail  thing  of  prettiness.  For  the  doctor  will 
surely  kill  her  !  "  Then  she  was  gone,  and  I  was 
left  staring  helplessly  at  the  closed  door. 

So  much  had  that  thought  been  in  my  own  mind 
that  her  words  seemed  but  an  echo.  I  thought  I 
saw  that  this  man,  Bardolph  Just,  cheated  of  his 
purpose  in  securing  the  girl,  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  get  rid  of  her — out  of  some  insane  jealousy  that 
prompted  him  not  to  allow  her  to  go  to  the  arms  of 
another  man.  Yet,  when  I  came  to  think  over  the 
problem,  it  occurred  to  me  that  if,  as  he  had  faintly 
suggested,  he  wanted  control  of  her  fortune,  this 
would  be  but  the  act  of  a  madman.  The  only 
possibility  was  that  the  fortune  might  in  some  way 
be  secured  by  him  without  her. 

But  now  that  the  matter  had  been  confirmed  in 
this  startling  fashion  I  knew  that  it  was  imperative 
that  I  should  keep  a  stricter  watch  than  ever  upon 
Debora.  For  suddenly  it  seemed  to  me  that  my 
absurd  belief  in  the  man  was  no  longer  justified. 
I  saw  that  the  doctor  had  merely  adopted  that 
attitude  of  penitence,  the  better  to  put  me  off  my 
guard.     Yet,  even  while  I  promised  myself  that  I 


100  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

would  do  valiant  things,  I  could  only  remember  my 
own  helplessness,  in  being  entirely  dependent  upon 
the  very  man  against  whom  I  wished  to  arm  myself. 
I  had  in  my  pocket  but  a  shilling  or  two,  which  he 
had  given  me  for  my  journey  down  into  London — 
that  journey  which  I  had  never  taken. 

As  for  any  future  that  might  once  have  seemed 
bright  before  me — what  future  had  I  ?  I  was  prac- 
tically in  hiding  under  another  name,  and  I  had  no 
resources  save  those  I  might  derive  from  one  who 
knew  my  secret,  and  was,  in  a  great  sense,  my 
enemy.  I  was  in  love — surely  more  hopelessly  than 
mortal  man  had  ever  been  before  ;  and  I  was  liable 
at  any  moment  to  be  betrayed  by  the  man  Harvey 
Scoff  old,  who  had  penetrated  my  story.  Alto- 
gether, as  I  came  to  review  the  position,  I  could 
have  heartily  wished  myself  back  in  my  prison 
again,  save  for  one  element  in  the  business.  That 
element  was  Debora  Match  wick,  and  I  knew  that 
in  the  strange  game  I  was  playing  Fate  had  destined 
me  to  fight  on  her  side,  in  a  matter  of  hfe  and 
death. 

Bardolph  Just  returned  early  in  the  afternoon, 
and  went  straight  to  his  study.  Debora  I  had 
seen  for  an  instant  as  she  crossed  the  hall ;  she  gave 
me  a  quick  smile,  and  that  was  all.  There  seemed 
to  be  brooding  over  the  whole  house  an  atmosphere 
of  expectancy — quite  as  though  we  waited  for  some- 
thing that  was  to  happen,  and  faced  it  each  in  his  or 
her  particular  way.  I  found  myself  listening  for 
the  doctor's  step  m  the  house,  while  I  felt  equally 
certain  that  for  his  part  he  was  wondering  what 
move  I  should  take,  and  was  calmly  preparing  to 
meet  such  a  move,  whatever  it 'might  be. 

The  long  day  drew  to  a  close,  and  presently  the 
harsh  bell  clanged  through  the  house  as  a  summons 
to  dinner.  I  happened  to  be  in  my  room  at  the 
time,  and  as  I  stepped  out  of  it  to  go  down  the 


DRAWN   FROM  THE  GRAVE.         loi 

stairs,  I  saw  that  the  doctor  was  waiting  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs,  and  was  peering  over  into  the 
hall  below.  He  turned  his  head  when  he  heard  my 
step  behind  him,  and  spoke  in  a  whisper.  He  spoke 
as  though  we  were  on  the  friendliest  terms,  and 
almost  as  if  there  were  some  secret  understanding 
between  us.  As  I  stepped  up  to  him  he  put  his 
hand  on  my  shoulder,  and,  laughable  as  it  may 
seem,  I  felt  a  little  thrill  of  gratitude  and  tender- 
ness for  the  man  run  through  me — such  was  the 
fascination  of  him.  All  my  suspicions  of  him 
seemed  to  go  to  the  wind. 

"  I  thought  I  ought  to  prepare  you,  John,  in 
case  you  didn't  know,"  he  whispered.  "  Two  bits 
of  news — Harvey  Scolfold  has  come  to  dinner, 
which  may  mean  mischief ;  and  Capper's  missing." 

He  imparted  that  last  scrap  of  information  with 
something  so  like  a  chuckle  that  I  looked  at  him 
quickly,  with  a  new  suspicion  in  my  mind.  Oddly 
enough,  he  must  have  guessed  what  I  meant,  for  he 
shook  his  head  and  grinned. 

"Oh,  nothing  to  do  with  me,  I  assure  you,"  he 
said.  "  Only  he  has  gone  off  without  a  word  to 
anyone — and  I  don't  quite  like  it.  Of  course,  I'm 
relieved  to  know  that  he  has  gone  ;  the  old  fool 
was  like  a  ghost  wandering  about  the  place.  But 
stiU,  I'd  like  to  know  where  he  is." 

*'  I  don't  see  that  it  matters  very  much,"  I  re- 
plied. "  But  what  makes  you  think  that  Scoff  old 
may  mean  mischief  ?  " 

Still  keeping  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  he  turned 
me  about,  and  began  to  walk  with  me  down  the 
stairs.  "  Because  it's  a  long  time  since  he  has 
visited  me  until  the  other  night,  and  now  he  comes 
again.  You  see,  he  knows  our  story,  and  he's 
utterly  unscrupulous.  More  than  that,  he's  always 
in  want  of  money." 

"I'll  try  what  personal  violence  will  do,  if  he 


102  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

tries  any  tricks  with  me,"  I  muttered  savagely. 
And  once  again  I  heard  the  doctor  chuckle. 

Harvey  Scoffold  was  in  the  dining-room  when  we 
entered,  and  was  talking  to  Debora.  He  was 
flourishing  about  in  his  big,  bullying  way,  with  his 
hands  thrust  in  his  pockets,  and  his  feet  wide  apart. 
He  turned  round  to  greet  us  at  once.  I  noticed 
that  he  looked  sharply  from  the  doctor  to  me, 
and  back  again,  as  though  he  suspected  we  had 
been  discussing  him ;  but  the  next  moment  he 
gripped  our  hands  warmly,  and  began  to  pour  out 
apologies. 

"  I  hope  you  don't  mind  a  lonely  man  coming 
in,  and  taking  advantage  of  your  hospitality  in 
this  fashion,"  he  began  to  the  doctor.  "  But  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  run 
over  to  see  you — and  I  acted  on  the  impulse  of 
a   moment." 

"  Delighted,  I'm  sure,"  murmured  Bardolph  Just, 
Yet  he  scarcely  looked  delighted.  "  You  know 
you're  always  welcome,  Harvey." 

"  Thanks — a  thousand  thanks  !  "  exclaimed  the 
big  man.  "  You  fellows  interested  me  so  much 
the  other  night  while  we  smoked  our  cigars,  that  I 
rather  wanted  to  have  that  little  discussion  out 
with  you.     You  don't  mind  ?  " 

We  were  seated  at  the  table  by  this  time,  and  I 
saw  the  doctor  look  up  quickly  at  him,  with  some- 
thing of  a  scowl  on  his  face.  "  I  mind  very  much," 
he  said  sharply.     "  Drop  it." 

A  httle  startled,  Harvey  Scoffold  sat  upright, 
looking  at  him  for  a  moment ;  then  he  nodded 
slowly.  "  Very  good — then  the  subject  is  dropped," 
he  said.  "  It  would  not  have  been  mentioned  again 
by  me,  but  that  I  thought  I  might  be  of  some 
assistance  in  the  matter." 

There  was  no  reply  to  that,  and  we  presently 
drifted    into    other    topics    of    conversation.     But 


DRAWN   FROM  THE    GRAVE.        103 

after  a  time  it  seemed  as  though  Harvey  Scotfold, 
in  sheer  venom,  must  get  back  to  that  subject, 
if  only  by  a  side  door,  for  he  presently  cLsked  a 
question   casually    that    bore    straight    upon    it. 

"  By  the  way,  that  quaint  old  servant,  Capper- 
is  he  any  better  ?  '* 

The  doctor  slowly  finished  the  wine  he  was 
drinking,  and  set  the  glass  down,  and  wiped  his 
lips  ;  then,  without  looking  at  his  questioner,  he 
answered — 

"  Capper  is  gone  !  "  he  said. 

Two  persons  at  the  table  echoed  that  last  word 
together — Harvey  Scoffold  and  Debora  exclaimed, 
as  in  one  voice,  "  Gone  !  " 

"  Having  had  enough  of  our  society,  the  man  has 
taken  himself  off  as  mysteriously  as  he  came,"  went 
on  the  doctor  calmly.  "  I  never  understood  his 
coming  ;  still  less  do  I  understand  his  going,  although 
I  confess  that  the  latter  movement  is  the  more 
reasonable.  Perhaps  he  has  remembered  where  his 
master  is,  and  has  gone  to  join  him.'' 

I  stole  a  glance  at  the  startled  face  of  the  girl. 
She  seemed  strangely  excited.  Harvey  Scoffold, 
evidently  at  a  loss  for  conversation,  hummed  the 
mere  shred  of  an  air  between  his  lips,  and  looked 
at  the  ceiling.  The  doctor's  face  I  could  not  see, 
because  he  was  behind  the  lamp.  I  longed  for  the 
dinner  to  pass,  because  I  wanted  to  get  at  my  man, 
and  find  out  just  what  game  was  afoot ;  I  was  in  a 
mood  to  choke  whatever  news  he  had  out  of  him, 
if  necessary, 

Debora  rose  at  last,  and  went  out  of  the  room. 
No  sooner  was  the  door  closed  than  the  doctor 
shifted  his  chair  a  little,  so  as  to  bring  him  clear  of 
the  lamp,  and  brought  a  fist  down  on  the  table  with 
a  bang. 

"  Now,  Scoffold,"  he  said  violently,  "  what's  the 
move  ?  " 


104  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

"  Yes,  what's  the  move  ? "  I  echoed,  leaning 
towards  the  man  also. 

He  glanced  from  one  to  the  other  of  us  with  a 
look  of  smiling  irmocence  on  his  face.  "  The 
move  ? "  he  said.  "  I'm  afraid  I  don't  under- 
stand. In  the  name  of  all  that's  marvellous,  can't 
a  man  come  to  dinner  with  friends  without  being 
asked  what  the  move  is  ?  " 

"  You're  not  the  man  to  do  anything  without  a 
purpose,"  cried  Bardolph  Just.  "  You  discovered 
something  the  last  time  you  were  here,  and  you 
evidently  want  to  discover  something  else.  Let  me 
warn  you " 

"  Stop  !  stop  !  "  broke  in  Harvey  Scoffold,  raising 
his  hands  protestingly.  "  I  need  no  threats  and 
no  warnings,  because  there  is  nothing  to  threaten 
about,  nor  to  warn  about.  My  hands  are  clean, 
and  I  trust  they  may  remain  so.  If  I  referred  to 
the  matter  at  all  to-night,  it  was  simply  because 
I  was  naturally  very  deeply  interested  in  the 
story  I  heard,  and  I  wanted  to  know  what  further 
developments  there  might  be,  that  is  all." 

'*  Well,  there  are  no  further  developments," 
growled  the  doctor.  '*  I  doubt  if  there  will  be  any 
further  developments." 

"I'm  delighted  to  hear  it,  and  I'm  only 
worried  about  one  thing — that's  the  man  Capper. 
He  may  make  mischief,  and  he  may  get  himself 
into  trouble  —  poor  old  fellow  !  —  wandering 
about  the  world  friendless  I'm  quite  sorry  for 
CappKjr." 

The  doctor  excused  himself  almost  immediately, 
and  went  to  his  study.  To  my  surprise,  Scoffold 
hnked  his  arm  in  mine,  and  drew  me  with  him 
towards  the  door  of  the  house.  "  It's  a  fine  night, 
and  a  walk  will  do  you  good,"  he  said.  "  Walk 
back  with  me  to  my  place." 

"  That's  rather  too  far,"  I  said,  for  I  remem- 


DRAWN   FROM  THE  GRAVE.         105 

bered  that  he  had  chambers  in  the  West-end  of 
London. 

"  I've  taken  another  lodging,"  he  said,  without 
looking  at  me.  "  It's  about  a  mile  from  here — or 
perhaps  a  Uttle  more — in  a  sort  of  rural  cottage, 
where  I  can  smell  the  roses  when  I  wake  in  the 
morning.  Cheap  and  wholesome,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing.     Come  along." 

It  was  still  quite  early,  and  I  reflected  that  no 
harm  was  likely  to  come  to  the  girl  in  the  short 
time  I  should  be  away.  Besides,  in  a  fashion,  this 
man  drew  me  to  him,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  I 
was  afraid  of  him,  and  of  what  he  might  do  or  say. 
So  we  went  out  of  the  house  together,  and  traversed 
the  dark  grounds,  and  so  came  arm-in-arm  into  the 
open  road.  Smoking  our  cigars  like  two  gentle- 
men at  ease,  we  strolled  along  under  the  stars. 

I  found  that  he  had  taken  a  lodging  in  a  quaint 
little  cottage,  with  a  long  garden  in  front  of  it,  in 
a  queer  little  back  street  in  Highgate — I  should 
scarcely  have  believed  that  such  a  place  existed  in 
what  was  really  London.  He  fitted  his  key  into 
the  door,  and  we  went  into  a  tiny  passage  and  up 
some  stairs.  As  we  reached  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
a  clean-looking  old  woman  came  out  of  the  room 
below,  and  called  to  him. 

"  Your  servant  is  waiting  up  for  you,  sir,"  she 
said. 

"  Thank  you  very  much  indeed,"  replied  Harvey 
Scoffold  blandly,  and  the  woman  retired. 

I  found  myself  wondering  a  Uttle  what  sort  of 
servant  he  had  brought  to  such  a  place  as  this.  I 
followed  him  into  a  little  clean  sitting-room,  with 
two  doors  opening  out  of  it  into  what  were  evidently 
bedrooms. 

At  one  side  of  the  room  a  little  table  was  set 
out  with  decanters,  and  glasses,  and  s5^hons  :  he 
proceeded  to  mix  for  himself  and  for  me.     Looking 


io6  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

about  him  in  search  of  something  which  he  could 
not  find,  he  struck  his  hand  on  a  httle  bell,  and  1 
saw  one  of  the  doors  open,  and  someone  come  in. 
I  stared  with  a  dropping  jaw  when  I  saw  that 
the  mysterious  servant  who  now  came  in  smiling 
was  Capper  ! 

Capper  did  not  look  at  me.  He  received  his 
instructions,  and  went  out  of  the  room  in  search 
of  what  was  wanted.  He  came  noiselessly  back  in 
a  moment  or  two,  and  during  his  absence  no  word 
was  spoken.  When  the  door  was  finally  closed 
again,  I  spoke  in  a  tone  I  vainly  endeavoured  to 
controL 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Of  what  ?  "  asked  Harvey  Scoffold  innocently. 
"  Oh  !  you  mean  Capjjer  ?  Purely  an  act  of  charity, 
my  dear  boy.  I  wouldn't  have  wished  the  old  man 
to  starve.'' 

"  You're  lying,"  I  said  hotly.  "  You  asked  all 
those  questions  to-night  during  dinner,  knowing 
well  that  the  old  man  was  here.  Come,  what's  the 
motive  ?  " 

He  took  a  long  drink  and  set  down  his  glass  with 
a  sigh  of  satisfaction.  "  The  motive  is  this,"  he 
said,  with  a  curious  grin  stealing  over  his  features. 
"  While  I  wish  no  direct  harm  to  you,  my  dear  boy, 
I  always  like  to  be  prepared  for  anything  that  may 
happen.  I  am  in  possession  of  your  story — I  know 
practically  all  that  I  want  to  know.  But  in  the  ful- 
ness of  time  that  story  must  change  and  move  ; 
something's  got  to  happen  to  you  at  some  time  or 
other.  Now  this  man  Capper — this  creature  of  the 
lost  memory — may  be  a  mere  pawn  in  the  game,  or 
he  may  be  something  more.  Who  shall  say  what  is 
locked  away  in  that  numbed  brain  of  his  ? — who 
shall  say  when  or  under  what  circumstances  he  may 
wake  up  ?  I  shall  be  curious  to  know  what  he 
will   say   when   he   wakes — curious  to  understand 


DRAWN   FROM  THE  GRAVE.         107 

what  the  shock  was  that  drove  him  into  his  present 
condition." 

"  Why  should  you  concern  yourself  about  the 
matter  at  all  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Because  I  wish  to  concern  myself  on  your 
account,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  said  blandly.  "  Really 
you  ought  to  be  very  much  obliged  to  me.  Bardolph 
Just  would  have  sent  the  man  packing,  or  would 
have  let  him  drift  out  into  the  world,  with  the 
possibility  that  at  some  time  or  other  Capper  would 
wake  up  and  tell  his  story,  and  demand  sanely  to 
know  where  his  master  was.  Here  I  have  him 
safely,  and  if  he  blurts  out  the  story  at  all — always 
supposing  that  he  has  one  to  blurt  out — he  can  only 
tell  it  to  a  friend.  Don't  be  hasty,  and  don't 
misjudge  people." 

Nevertheless,  I  did  not  like  it.  I  knew  that  I  was 
in  the  power  of  this  man  Scoffold,  and  I  saw,  in  the 
line  of  conduct  he  was  taking,  so  many  steps  towards 
using  me  for  his  own  ends.  The  coming  to  dinner, 
the  taking  of  this  lodging  so  near  to  where  I  lived, 
the  securing  of  the  man  Capper.  I  felt  that  he  was 
drawing  a  net  about  me,  out  of  which  I  might  not  be 
able  to  struggle. 

We  sat  talking  for  a  long  time,  and  gradually,  with 
his  plausible  tongue,  he  persuaded  me  that  he  was 
my  friend,  and  that  he  meant  to  help  me.  He 
suspected  the  doctor,  he  told  me,  and  his  real 
motive  in  coming  to  that  lodging  was  to  be  near  me 
in  case  of  necessity. 

"  Trust  me,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  stand  your  friend. 
More  than  that,  I  want  to  show  you  now  that  my 
help  shall  be  of  a  practical  nature.  I  take  it  that  you 
have  no  nloney ;  that  you  are  dependent  upon 
Bardolph  Just  for  everything  ?  "  As  I  was  silent, 
he  nodded,  and  went  on,  "  Just  as  I  thought.  Well, 
we'll;  remedy  that  ;  you  must  let  me  lend  you  a 
little^  money." 


io8  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  protested  feebly  for  a  time,  but  he  was  insistent, 
and  at  last  I  yielded.  I  took  only  a  few  shillings, 
because  I  reaUy  needed  them,  and  I  did  not  know  at 
what  moment  I  might  be  thrown  on  my  own  re- 
sources, and  left  to  face  the  world  once  more.  Then, 
with  something  amounting  to  friendhness,  I  left 
Harvey  Scoffold  at  the  little  gate  in  the  fence,  at  the 
end  of  the  long  garden  which  led  to  the  cottage,  and 
took  my  way  back  towards  the  doctor's  house. 

It  was  very  late,  and  very  dark.  I  was  going  along 
at  a  swinging  pace,  when  I  saw  a  man  rise  from  beside 
the  road  and  come  hobbhng  towards  me,  pleading 
volubly  as  he  came.  Having  nothing  for  beggars,  I 
was  pressing  on,  while  he  jogged  along  beside  me, 
about  a  foot  in  my  rear,  still  pleading. 

"  S'welp  me,  guv'nor,  yer  might  spare  a  tanner  to 
'elp  a  pore  bloke  to  a  night's  lodging.  I've  bin 
trampin'  it  all  day,  an'  I've  scarcely  'ad  a  mouthful 
of  food  ;  it  wouldn't  'urt  yer  to  give  me  a  tanner.  I 
wouldn't  be  like  this  'ere  if  I  'adn't  bin  unfort'nit ; 
but  wot's  a  pore  bloke  to  do  wot's  been  in  jail — an* 
gits  chivied  abaht " 

I  stopped  and  wheeled  round  on  him.  *'  You  say 
you've  been  in  prison  ?  "  I  asked.  "  What  prison 
was  it  ?  " 

"  Pent'ouse,"  he  replied  ;  and  on  that  I  thrust  the 
money  I  had  ready  in  my  hand  into  his,  and  turned 
abruptly  and  made  off. 

But,  as  ill-luck  would  have  it,  we  had  been  standing 
squarely  under  a  lamp,  and  as  I  turned  round  I  saw 
the  man  give  a  start  of  surprise.  I  was  in  a  mood 
to  run,  knowing  well  that  I  could  out-distance  him 
easily,  but  as  I  went  striding  away,  I  heard  him  come 
pounding  after  me,  and  heard  him  shouting  some- 
thing. The  mischief  was  done  ;  there  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  meet  him. 

So  I  turned  back  slowly  and  then  stood  still,  and 
waited  for  him. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

I    BEHAVE    DISGRACEFULLY. 

The  man  I  now  faced  on  that  solitary  road  had  all  the 
appearance  of  a  tramp.  By  the  light  of  the  lamp 
above  us  I  saw  that  he  was  clad  in  a  dingy  old  tweed 
suit,  very  much  frayed  at  the  cuffs  and  the  trouser- 
ends,  while  upon  his  head  was  a  cap  much  too  large 
for  him,  the  peak  of  which  was  worn  over  one  ear. 
And  this  not  from  any  rakishness,  but  rather,  as 
it  seemed,  as  a  sullen  protest  against  the  more 
orderly  habits  of  his  fellows.  As  the  game  was 
in  his  hands  for  the  moment,  I  left  the  first  move 
to  him. 

"  WeU,  strike  me  pink  !  "  he  exclaimed  under  his 
breath,  as  he  looked  me  up  and  down.  "  Wot's 
walkin'  to-night — Uve  men  or  spooks  ?  Jail-bird 
or  gent — w'ich  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  I  said  lamely. 
"  I  know  nothing  about  you " 

"  Come  orf  it !  "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  disgusted 
shrug.  "  If  you  don't  know  nothink  abaht  me,  wot 
did  yer  come  back  for  w'en  I  'ollered  ?  W'y — we 
worked  in  the  same  gang  !  " 

"  I  never  saw  you  in  my  Ufe  before,"  I  said,  feeling 
now  that  all  was  up  with  me. 

"  Oh,  yus,  yer  did  !  "  he  retorted.  "  You  an'  me 
worked  in  the  same  gang,  ai^^slep'  at  night  in  cells 

I09 


no  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

wot  was  next  to  each  uwer.  An'  then  one  day  you 
cut  yer  lucky,  an'  they  brought  you  back  a  dead  un. 
'Ere,  ketch  W  of  my  'and  !  " 

He  stretched  out  a  grimy  hand  to  me  as  he  sp>oke 
and  quite  mechanically  I  put  my  own  into  it.  He 
gripped  it  for  a  moment,  and  then  tossed  it  from  him 
with  a  lau^h. 

"  You  am't  no  spook,"  he  said,  "  an'  you  ain't  no 
bloomin'  twin  brother.  You  won't  kid  old  George 
Rabbit." 

"  I  don't  want  to  kid  anybody,"  I  said.  "  And  I 
shouldn't  think  you'd  be  the  sort  to  go  back  on  a 
pal.     Why,  you're  free  yourself !  " 

'*  Yes,  in  a  prop)er  sort  o'  way,"  he  retorted.  "  Got 
my  discharge  reg'lar,  an'  a  nice  little  pat  on  the  back 
w'en  I  come  out  fer  bein'  a  good  boy.  Not  that  that 
does  yer  much  good — 'cos  'ere  I  am  starving,  w'ile 
the  bloke  that  comes  out  through  the  roof,  an'  cuts 
his  lucky,  dresses  like  a  toff,  an  smokes  a  cigar  you 
could  smell  a  mile  orf .  As  fer  me,  it  don't  'ardly  run 
to  'alf  a  bounce  an'  a  inch  of  clay." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate  you're  better  off  now,  and  as 
to  freedom — well,  we  can  cry  quits  as  to  that,"  I 
said.  "  Here's  some  more  money  for  you,  all  I  can 
spare.     I'll  wish  you  good-night, 

"  'Arf  a  mo' — 'arf  a  mo' !  "  he  cried,  catching  at  my 
sleeve  and  detaining  me.  "  Do  yer  fink  I'm  goin'  to 
let  yer  ^o  Uke  that  ?  W'y,  there's  lots  of  fings  wants 
explainm'.  'Ow  do  you  come  to  be  walkin'  at  large 
like  this  'ere,  after  they've  tolled  the  bloomin'  bell 
for  yer  at  Pent'ouse  ?  " 

"  I  can't  explain  everything  to  you  ;  it  would  take 
too  long,"  I  said.  "  Suffice  it  that  I've  found  friends 
who  have  helped  me  ;  there  was  another  man  buried 
in  my  place.  And  now,  Mr.  George  Rabbit,"  I 
added  fiercely,  '*  you'll  please  to  understand  that 
Norton  Hyde,  convict,  lies  buried  in  a  certain  grave 
you  know  of,  and  quite  another  man  has  given  you 


I   BEHAVE   DISGRACEFULLY.  iii 

money  to-night.  Get  that  into  your  thick  head, 
and  once  more  '  good-night '  to  you." 

I  turned  away  abruptly  to  resume  my  walk.  After 
all,  I  felt  that  I  was  pretty  safe  ;  such  a  shifty, 
shambling  creature  as  this  would  only  be  regarded 
as  a  madman  if  he  told  any  tale  about  me,  especially 
any  tale  that  would  seem  as  absurd  as  this  one  of  a 
man  alive  that  should  properly  be  dead.  So  I  strode 
away,  whistling. 

But  after  a  moment  or  two,  glancing  furtively 
over  my  shoulder,  I  saw  that  he  was  following, 
coming  along  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  at  a  sort 
of  hobbling  trot  that  carried  him  over  the  ground  as 
fast  as  my  longer  stride.  I  stopped,  and  looked  back 
at  him  ;  and  in  a  moment  he  stopped  too,  and  waited. 

"  You'd  better  go  back,"  I  called  across  to  him 
threateningly,  but  he  did  not  answer. 

On  I  went  again,  and  once  more,  as  I  glanced  over 
my  shoulder,  I  saw  him  coming  along  in  the  same 
way,  like  a  grim  Fate  that  would  not  be  shaken  off. 
I  had  just  made  up  my  mind  to  try  conclusions  with 
him  in  the  shape  of  personal  violence,  and  had 
stopped  with  that  purpose  in  my  mind,  when  a  voice 
broke  in  out  of  the  darkness  that  startled  me  even 
more  than  it  could  have  startled  Mr.  Rabbit. 

"  Is  that  man  follo^ving  you,  sir  ?  " 

It  was  a  constable,  standing  in  the  shadow  of  a 
doorway,  and  he  had  evidently  been  watching  our 
approach.  I  knew  by  the  fact  that  George  Rabbit 
stood  his  ground,  and  even  edged  a  little  nearer,  that 
he  felt  he  had  nothing  to  fear  ;  while,  for  my  part, 
the  mere  sight  of  the  uniformed  constable,  coming 
at  that  juncture,  had  thrown  me  into  such  a  sweat 
of  terror  that  I  could  scarcely  speak.  However,  I 
managed  to  jerk  out  some  words  which  were  perhaps 
the  most  stupid  I  could  have  used,  because  I  doubt 
not  that  had  I  braved  the  matter  out,  George  Rabbit 
would  have  taken  to  his  heels,  and  so  have  left  me 


112  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

in  peace.  But  my  words  only  strengthened  whatever 
ties  the  man  meant  to  bind  me  with. 

"  It's  all  right,  constable,"  I  blurted  out ;  "  the 
man's  a  friend  of  mine  in — in  reduced  circumstances. 
I'm  going  to  find  him  a  lodging." 

So  we  shuffled  on  in  our  onginal  order  past  the 
constable,  and  now  I  began  to  feel  that  I  had  indeed 
taken  a  load  uj)on  me  that  was  more  than  I  could 
support.  By  this  time  George  Rabbit  had  drawn 
nearer  to  me,  and  was  shuffling  along  contentedly  at 
my  side,  and  with  each  step  I  was  coming  nearer  to 
the  house  of  Dr.  Bardolph  Just.  In  desperation  at 
last  I  turned  about,  and  caught  him  suddenly  by 
the  throat  and  shook  him.  I  remember  now  that  he 
tumbled  about  in  my  hands  as  though  he  had  been 
the  mere  bundle  of  rags  he  looked,  so  that  I  was  a 
little  ashamed  of  my  violence. 

"  You  dog !  "  I  exclaimed  savagely,  "  what  the 
devil  do  you  mean  by  following  me  hke  this  ?  What 
do  you  think  you'll  gain  ?  " 

"  I  dunno,  yet,"  he  said  shakily,  while  his  head 
rolled  from  side  to  side.  "  I  can't  be  much  worse  off 
than  wot  I  am,  an'  I  may  be  a  deal  better." 

"I'll  give  you  all  I  have  in  my  pockets  if  you'll 
turn  back  now,  and  forget  you've  ever  seen  me,"  I 
said,  releasing  him. 

He  grinned  at  me.  "  I've  got  sich  a  'orrible  good 
memory,"  he  said.  "  Besides,  I  couldn't  fergit  that 
face  under  any  circs." 

"What  do  you  think  you'll  get  ?  "  I  demanded 
again. 

"I'll  put  it  plain,  guv'nor,"  he  said,  standing  in  the 
road  before  me,  and  looking  at  me  with  his  head  on 
one  side.  "I've  bin  out  o  luck  a  long  time  ;  even 
my  pals  don't  seem  to  cotton  to  me  some'ow.  Nah, 
you've  got  friends — real  tip-toppers,  I'll  be  bound — 
wot  spells  it  in  quids  w'ere  I  spells  it  in  brown  'uns. 
Also  likewise  you  don't  want  it  blowed  about  that 


I   BEHAVE  DISGRACEFULLY.        113 

you  ain't  wot  you  seem,  an'  that  your  proper  place  fer 
the  next  few  years  is  Pent'ouse,  to  say  nothink  of 
awkward  enquiries  about  somebody  else  wot  was 
buried  by  mistake.  In  case  there's  any  questions 
asked,  you  want  a  pal  wot'll  s'welp  'is  never  that  'e 
don't  know  any  more  abaht  yer  than  the  King  on 
'is  golding  throne.  An'  that's  me — that's  George 
Rabbit  !  " 

"  I  don't  want  your  help,"  I  said. 

"  But  you've  got  to  'ave  it,  all  the  same,"  he 
remarked  cheerfully. 

So  it  happened  that  I  had  to  go  on  again,  with  this 
ragged  retainer  trailing  behind.  In  that  order  we 
came  to  the  gate  leading  into  the  grounds,  and  I 
went  in,  still  puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with  the 
man.  By  this  time  I  realised  that,  however  much  the 
doctor  might  resent  his  appearance,  it  was  vitally 
necessary  that  for  his  own  sake,  as  well  as  for  mine, 
Bardolph  Just  should  assist  me  in  silencing  that  too 
free  tongue  which  wagged  in  the  head  of  George 
Rabbit.  While  I  was  debating  what  to  do  with  the 
man,  he  settled  that  question  for  himself. 

"  It's  a  nice  warm  night,  guv'nor  ;  if  you  could  give 
me  some  place  w'ere  I  could  jist  lay  meself  dahn,  an' 
do  a  snooze,  I  should  be  as  comfy  as  comfy.  Only  if 
I  could  git  summink  to  eat,  an'  a  drop  o'  drink  fust, 
I  should  be  'appier  still." 

"  You'd  better  wait  here  while  I  go  to  the  house," 
I  replied.  "I'll  bring  you  out  something  to  eat,  and 
I'll  show  you  where  to  sleep." 

I  left  him  standing  under  the  trees,  and,  greatly 
perturbed  in  mind,  made  my  way  to  the  house.  I 
had  seen  a  light  in  the  doctor's  study,  and  I  now 
made  straight  for  it,  for  this  was  a  matter  in  which  I 
must  have  advice.  Without  troubling  to  knock  at 
the  door,  I  opened  it  and  walked  straight  in. 

At  first  I  thought  the  room  was  empty,  and  I  was 
withdrawing   again   when    I    heard    voices   at    the 

H 


114  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

furtlier  end  of  it.  The  voices  proceeded  from  behind 
the  screen  which  hid  that  part  of  the  room  which 
was  the  surgery,  and  it  was  evident  that  whoever  was 
there,  beheving  that  they  had  the  place  to  them- 
selves, were  at  no  pains  to  mask  their  voices. 

The  first  voice  I  heard  was  one  which  I  recognised 
easily  as  that  of  the  woman  Martha  Leach.  She  was 
evidently  greatly  excited,  and  labouring  under  strong 
emotion. 

"  God  help  me  !  why  have  I  clung  to  you  all  these 
years — for  you  to  make  a  mock  of  me  now,  and  to 
try  to  fling  me  aside  ?  What  has  my  life  been  that  I 
should  stand  calmly  by  and  be  slighted,  and  treated 
like  the  dirt  under  your  feet  ?  " 

It  was  the  doctor's  voice  that  broke  in,  sharply 
and  angrily.  '*  You've  remained  with  me  because  it 
suited  your  purpose  to  do  so,"  he  said.  "  Years  ago 
I  befriended  you — you  know  under  what  circum- 
stances. You  know  how  I  imperilled  my  position 
to  do  it ;  you  know  that,  but  for  me,  you  would 
have  stood  in  a  criminal  dock " 

"  I  know — I  know  !  "  she  cried.  "  And  after  that 
my  life  was  given  to  you.  I  became  as  something 
that  did  not  exist  for  myself,  but  for  another.  And 
now — now  all  that  is  forgotten." 

'*  It  was  forgotten  years  ago,  and  will  never  be 
remembered  now,"  he  said.  "  If  you  are  not  content 
with  your  position  here,  the  remedy  lies  in  your  own 
hands  :  you  can  leave  the  house,  and  start  some- 
where again  for  yourself." 

"  You  know  I  can't  do  that,"  she  said,  in  a  lower 
tone.  "  Only  you  might  be  fair  to  me  ;  you  might 
let  me  understand  that  even  if  I  am  nothing,  this 
girl  is  less.  Why  should  you  degrade  me  before 
her  ?  " 

"  Because  you  were  growing  insolent,"  he  said. 
"  Leave  Miss  Matchwick's  name  out  of  the  question." 

"  You  tried  to  kill  her,"  said  the  woman,  sinking 


I   BEHAVE  DISGRACEFULLY.         115 

her  voice  yet  more.     "  I  saw  that ;  I  know  why  you 
opened  those  doors  last  night." 

There  was  a  long  pause,  and  then  I  heard  the 
doctor  give  a  quick  laugh.  "  Well,  doesn't  that 
satisfy  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  seemed  to  laugh  in  response.  "  But  you  won't 
have  the  courage  again,"  she  taunted  him. 

"  Won't  I  ?  "  I  heard  him  move  as  though  he  took 
a  step  towards  her.  "  I  shall.  And  next  time  it  will 
be  something  more  subtle  than  any  such  bungling 
business  of  an  accident  at  night.  I  gave  a  certificate 
once,  in  the  case  of  a  certain  Martha  Leach,  con- 
cerning the  death " 

"  Don't  speak  of  that !  "  she  exclaimed. 

*'  And  I  can  give  one  in  the  case  of  the  death 
of  a  certain  Debora What's  that  ?  " 

I  had  been  so  startled  that  I  had  stumbled  back 
against  the  door,  closing  it  noisily.  I  had  the  sense 
now  to  open  it  quickly,  and  apparently  to  march  into 
the  room,  cheerily  whistling.  As  I  did  so  the  doctor 
came  quickly  round  the  screen  and  confronted  me. 

"  Hullo  !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Forgive  my  bursting  in 
like  that  ;  I  wanted  to  see  you." 

He  drew  a  breath  of  relief,  and  smiled  in  a  ghastly 
fashion  ;  he  seemed  strangely  shaken.  "  You  did 
startle  me  rather,"  he  said.     "  What's  the  matter  ?  " 

Now  I  knew  that  the  woman  Leach  was  still 
behind  the  screen,  and  that  she  must  hear  every  word 
that  I  might  have  to  say,  and  Bardolph  Just  knew  that 
also.  Yet  we  must  play  the  game  of  pretences  in 
such  a  fashion  as  to  make  each  believe  that  we  were 
certain  we  were  the  only  two  persons  in  the  room. 
More  than  that,  having  had  a  sample  of  the  woman's 
curiosity  that  morning,  I  was  in  no  mood  to  talk 
about  myself,  or  of  that  fellow  jail-bird  I  had  met, 
within  her  hearing.  Yet  I  could  not  suggest  talking 
with  the  doctor  elsewhere,  because  that  must  at  once 
show  him  that  I  knew  we  had  a  listener.    There  was 


ii6  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

nothing  for  it  but  to  speak  as  vaguely  as  possible, 
and  to  try  and  get  him  away  from  that  room. 

"  I've  had  an  adventure  to-night,  and  I  rather 
want  to  tell  you  about  it,"  I  said.  "  I've  met  a  man, 
by  the  merest  accident,  whom  I  know." 

He  glanced  quickly  at  the  screen,  and  then  looked 
again  at  me.  "  Won't  your  news  keep  till  the 
morning  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Well,  hardly,"  I  replied,  with  a  laugh.  "  The 
friend  of  whom  I  speak  is  here  now." 

"  Here  ?  "     The  doctor  looked  puzzled. 

"  Yes,"  I  said.  "  You  see,  it  happens  that  he  was 
with  me  in  a  certain  place  of  which  you  know,  and 
he  is  rather  anxious  to  renew  an  acquaintance  so 
auspiciously  begun." 

The  doctor  whistled  softly,  and  once  more  glanced 
at  the  screen.  "  We'll  go  downstairs  and  talk 
about  this,"  he  said.  "  This  room  is  intolerably 
hot." 

•,  He  opened  the  door  for  me  to  pass  out,  and  as  I 
preceded  him  murmured  an  excuse  that  he  had  for- 
gotten something,  and  went  quickly  back.  I  went 
downstairs,  and  in  a  moment  or  two  he  joined  me  in 
the  dining-room.  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
smiling  at  my  secret  knowledge  of  what  had  taken 
place  in  the  other  room,  even  though  I  was  agitated 
by  dreadful  fears  concerning  Debora.  I  had  gleaned 
but  a  dim  notion  of  what  the  pair  had  been  talking 
about,  but  it  had  been  enough  to  show  me  that 
Bardolph  Just  had  by  no  means  ref)ented  of  his 
purpose.  I  shuddered  at  the  connection  of  Debora's 
name  with  death.  Moreover,  guessing  something  of 
the  character  of  the  woman  Leach,  and  adding  to 
that  the  remembrance  of  what  she  had  said  to  me 
that  morning,  I  saw  that  matters  were  indeed  des- 
perate. And,  to  add  to  my  perplexities,  there  was 
thejman  George  Rabbit,  waiting  all  this  time  under 
the  trees  for  my  reappearance. 


I   BEHAVE  DISGRACEFULLY.  117 

"  Now,  what  has  happened  ?  "  asked  the  doctor 
sharply. 

"  I  met  a  man  to-night,  by  the  greatest  ill-fortune, 
who  worked  in  the  same  gang  with  me  in  Penthouse 
prison,"  I  answered  him.  "A  mean  dog,  who  intends 
to  trade  on  the  knowledge,  and  to  get  what  he  can 
out  of  me.  I  tried  to  shake  him  off,  but  he  stuck  to 
me  hke  wax." 

"  What  have  you  done  with  him  ?  "  he  asked 

"  I  left  him  in  the  grounds  ;  I  promised  to  take 
food  and  drink  to  him,"  I  said. 

He  paced  about  the  room  for  a  moment  or  two, 
with  his  arms  folded,  and  his  chin  in  the  hollow  of  one 
hand.  "  I  don't  like  the  look  of  things  at  all ;  it 
seems  almost  as  if  a  net  were  closing  in  about  us,"  he 
said  at  last.  "  Harvey  Scoff  old  was  bad  enough  ; 
now  comes  someone  who,  according  to  your  descrip- 
tion, is  scarcely  likely  to  prove  as  reasonable  even  as 
Scoffold  might  be.  This  dog  scents  money,  I  take  it  ?  " 

"  He  scents  everything  that  means  easy  living,  and 
no  work,  and  safety,"  I  answered. 

"  Bring  him  in  here  ;  perhaps  I  may  be  able  to 
deal  with  him  better  than  you,"  said  the  doctor 
suddenly.  "  We'll  feed  him,  and  we'll  see  what  he 
has  to  say  for  himself.  That's  the  ticket ;  bring  him 
in  here." 

I  went  out  at  once  into  the  grounds,  and  was 
relieved  to  see  George  Rabbit  slouch  out  from 
the  shadows  of  the  trees,  and  come  towards  me. 
"  Bin  a  bloomin'  long  time,  you  'ave,"  he  growled 
resentfully. 

"  Don't  be  impudent,"  I  said  sharply.  "  Come 
into  the  house,  and  I'll  give  you  a  meal." 

He  drew  back  and  shook  his  head.  "  Not  me,"  he 
replied.  "  I  ain't  goin'  to  run  into  no  traps.  'Ow 
do  I  know  who's  inside,  or  wot's  goin'  to  'appen  to 
me  ?     I'm  safe  'ere,  an'  'ere  I'll  stop." 

"  What's  to  harm  you  ?  "  I  asked  him.     "  You've 


ii8  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

nothing  to  fear ;  you've  worked  out  your  time,  and 
are  a  free  man.  If  anyone  has  to  be  afraid  of  what's 
going  to  happen,  I  think  I'm  the  man.'* 

"  Never  mind  abaht  that ;  I  tell  yer  I  ain't  goin* 
in,"  he  said  doggedly. 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders  and  turned  away.  "  Then 
stop  outside  ;  you'll  get  nothing,"  was  my  reply. 

As  I  exj>ected,  I  had  not  gone  a  dozen  yards  when 
he  came  limping  after  me.  "  All  right,  guv'nor,  I'll 
risk  it,"  he  said  eagerly,  "  I'm  down  on  my  luck, 
an'  I  must  have  a  bite  an'  a  drink.  An'  after  all, 
w'en  yer  come  to  think  of  it,  I'm  top  dog,  ain't  I  ?  " 

In  my  own  mind  I  had  to  acknowledge  as  much, 
though  I  wondered  what  his  attitude  would  be  when 
he  came  face  to  face  with  that  stronger  man,  Bar- 
dolph  Just.  I  made  my  way  into  the  house  and  into 
the  dining-room,  while  George  Rabbit  shuffled  along 
behind  me.  He  had  pulled  off  his  cap,  and  now 
revealed  the  thin  stubble  of  hair  with  which  his  head 
was  covered. 

As  he  shuffled  in  after  me  into  the  dining-room  he 
caught  sight  of  the  doctor,  standing  up  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  looking  at  him.  He  drew  back 
instantly,  and  looked  very  much  as  though  he  meant 
to  make  a  bolt  for  it,  after  all. 

"  You  can  come  in,  my  friend,"  said  the  doctor, 
regarding  him  steadily.     "  I  know  all  about  you." 

"  I  said  it  was  a  bloomin'  trap,"  muttered  Rabbity 
as  he  shuffled  into  the  room. 

I  saw  that  the  doctor  had  been  busy  in  my  absence. 
Apparently  he  had  visited  the  larder,  and  had 
brought  therefrom  the  remains  of  a  pie  and  some 
bread  and  cheese,  all  of  which  were  set  out  on  a  tray, 
together  with  a  bottle  and  a  glass.  Our  new  guest 
eyed  these  things  hungrily,  forgetful  of  everything 
else.  At  a  sign  from  the  doctor  he  seated  himself 
at  the  table,  and  fell  to  like  a  ravening  wolf. 

"  I  thought  it  better  not  to  disturb  the  servants," 


I  BEHAVE  DISGRACEFULLY.  119 

said  Bardolph  Just  to  me  in  a  low  tone,  "  so  I  foraged 
for  myself.  He'll  be  more  amenable  when  he's  taken 
the  edge  off  his  appetite," 

Mr.  George  Rabbit  feeding  was  not  a  pretty  sight. 
Making  all  allowances  for  a  tremendous  hunger,  it 
was  not  exactly  nice  to  see  him  cramming  food  into 
himself  with  the  aid  of  his  knife  as  well  as  his  fork, 
and  with  an  occasional  resort  to  his  more  primitive 
fingers  ;  nor  did  he  forget  to  apply  himself  to  the 
bottle  at  intervals.  And  all  the  time  he  eyed  us 
furtively,  as  though  wondering  what  would  happen 
when  his  meal  was  finished. 

But  at  last  even  he  was  satisfied — or  perhaps  I 
should  put  it  that  the  pie  had  given  out.  He  sat 
back  in  his  chair,  and  wiped  his  lips  with  the  lining  of 
his  deplorable  cap,  and  heaved  a  huge  sigh  of  satis- 
faction. "  That's  done  me  a  treat,  guv'nors  both," 
he  murmured  hoarsely. 

"  We're  pleased,  I'm  sure,"  replied  Bardolph  Just. 
"  Now  we  can  get  to  business.  It  seems  that  you've 
got  a  sort  of  idea  in  your  head  that  you  are 
acquainted  with  this  gentleman  ?  "  He  indicated 
me  as  he  spoke. 

George  Rabbit  winked  impudently.  "  Never  for- 
got a  pal  in  my  life,  an'  I  'ope  I  never  shall,"  he  said. 
"  W'y,  me  an'  Norton  'Ide  was  unfort'nit  togevver, 
an'  now  'e's  struck  it  rich,  it  ain't  likely  I  wouldn't 
stick  to  'im.     See  ?  " 

"  Now  listen  to  me,  my  man,"  said  Bardolph  Just, 
coming  to  the  other  end  of  the  table,  and  leaning  his 
hands  on  it,  and  staring  down  at  the  other  man. 
"  A  great  many  things  happen  in  this  world  that  it's 
well  to  know  nothing  about.  You've  made  a  mis- 
take ;  the  gentleman  you  think  is  Norton  Hyde  is  not 
Norton  Hyde  at  all.     What  do  you  say  to  that  ?  " 

"  Wot  I  say  to  that  is — try  summink  else," 
answered  Rabbit.  "  You  fink  you'll  kid  me  ;  you 
fink  you'll  git  rid  of  me  jist  fer  a  supper  ?     Not 


120  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

much.  I  know  a  good  thing  w'en  I  see  it,  an'  I'm 
goin'  to  freeze  on  to  it/' 

"  You  will  not  only  have  a  good  supper,  but  you'll 
have  somewhere  to  sleep  as  well,"  said  the  doctor. 
"  More  than  that,  you'll  have  money." 

"I'll  lay  I  do  !  "  exclaimed  the  man  boisterously. 

Bardolph  Just  laid  a  sovereign  on  the  edge  of  the 
table,  and  pushed  it  gently  towards  the  man. 
"  You've  never  seen  this  gentleman  before  ?  "  he 
hinted. 

George  Rabbit  shook  his  head.  "  Not  'arf  enough," 
he  said  disdainfully. 

The  process  was  repeated  until  five  sovereigns  lay 
in  a  httle  shining  row  along  the  edge  of  the  table. 
It  was  too  much  for  George  Rabbit ;  he  leaned  for- 
ward eagerly.  "  I  don't  know  the  gent  from  Adam  !  " 
he  exclaimed. 

"  Ah  !  "  The  doctor  laughed,  and  drew  a  deep 
breath,  and  then  suddenly  dropped  his  hand  down  so 
that  the  coins  were  covered.  '*  But  not  so  fast  ; 
there's  something  else.  This  money  is  yours — and 
you  will  have  a  shakedown  for  the  night — only  on 
condition  that  you  stick  to  what  you've  said.  If  you 
give  any  trouble,  or  if  you  start  any  ridiculous  story 
such  as  you  hinted  at  to-night,  I  shall  find  a  way  of 
dealing  with  you.     Do  you  understand  ?  " 

The  man  looked  up  at  him  suspiciously.  "  You 
could  do  a  precious  lot,  I  don't  fink  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

'*  I'd  do  this,"  said  the  doctor  viciously.  "  I'd 
hunt  you  out  of  the  country,  my  friend  ;  I'd  look  up 
past  records  and  see  what  took  you  into  prison  ;  I'd 
see  if  you  couldn't  be  got  back  there  again.  How  do 
you  think  your  word  would  stand  against  mine,  when 
it  came  to  a  cock-and-bull  story  of  the  wrong  man 
buried  and  the  right  man  ahve  ?  Think  yourself 
lucky  you've  been  treated  as  well  as  you  have." 

George  Rabbit  eyed  him  resentfully,  and  had  a 
long  look  at  me  ;  then  he  slowly  shuffled  to  his  feet. 


I   BEHAVE   DISGRACEFULLY.  121 

"  Give  us  the  rhino,  an'  show  me  w'ere  I'm  to  sleep," 
he  said.  "  I  shall  keep  me  face  shut ;  you  needn't 
be  afraid." 

The  doctor  pushed  the  coins  towards  him,  and  he 
was  in  the  very  act  of  gathering  them  up  with  some 
deliberateness,  when  the  door  was  opened,  and 
Martha  Leach  walked  in.  What  she  had  expected 
to  find,  or  whether  she  had  anticipated  discovering 
the  doctor  alone,  it  is  impossible  to  say  ;  certain  it  is 
that  she  stopped  dead,  taking  in  the  little  picture 
before  her,  and  something  of  its  meaning.  George 
Rabbit  swept  the  coins  into  his  hand,  and  jingled 
them  for  a  moment,  and  dropped  them  into  his  pocket. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  snarled  Bardolph  Just. 

"  Nothing,"  replied  the  woman,  in  some  dismay. 
"  I  only  thought — I  only  wondered  if  you  wanted 
anything  more  to-night.     I'm  very  sorry." 

"  I  want  nothing.  Go  to  bed,"  he  said  curtly  ; 
and  with  another  swift  glance  round  the  room  that 
seemed  to  embrace  us  all,  she  walked  out  of  the  room 
and  closed  the  door, 

"  Now,  show  this  man  where  he  can  sleep,"  he 
said,  turning  to  me.  "  There's  a  loft  over  the  stable, 
with  plenty  of  straw  in  it ;  if  he  doesn't  set  fire  to 
himself  he'll  be  comfortable  enough.  You  know 
where  it  is  ?  " 

I  nodded,  and  signed  to  George  Rabbit  to  follow 
me.  He  made  an  elaborate  and  somewhat  ironical 
bow  to  the  doctor  in  the  doorway  of  the  room.  The 
doctor  called  him  back  for  a  moment. 

"  You  can  slip  away  in  the  morning  when  you 
like,"  he  said.  "  And  don't  let  us  see  your  ugly 
face  again." 

"  Not  so  much  about  my  face,  if  yer  don't  mind," 
said  Mr.  Rabbit,  "  An'  I  shan't  be  at  all  sorry  ter 
go  ;  I  don't  'alf  like  the  company  you  keep  !  " 

With  this  doubtful  compliment  flung  at  me,  Mr. 
George   Rabbit  shuffled   out  of  the  room,   with  a 


122  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

parting  grin  at  the  doctor.  I  took  him  out  of  the 
house  and  across  the  grounds  towards  the  stable, 
showed  him  where,  by  mounting  a  ladder,  he  could 
get  to  his  nest  among  the  straw  in  the  loft.  "  And 
don't  smoke  there,"  I  said,  "  if  only  for  your  own 
sake." 

"  I  'aven't  got  anythink  to  smoke,"  he  said,  a 
little  disgustedly.  "  I  never  thought  of  it.  I 
'aven't  so  much  as  a  match  on  me." 

I  knew  that  the  stable  was  deserted,  because  I  had 
never  seen  any  horses  there,  and  I  knew  that  the 
doctor  kept  none.  I  left  George  Rabbit  in  the  dark, 
and  retraced  my  steps  to  the  house.  I  met  the 
doctor  in  the  hall ;  he  had  evidently  been  waiting 
for  me. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  asked,  looking  at  me  with  a  smile. 

"  I  don't  think  he'll  trouble  us  again,"  I  siiid. 
"  As  you  suggested,  he  won't  get  anyone  to  believe 
his  story,  even  if  he  tells  it,  and  a  great  many  things 
may  happen  before  he  gets  rid  of  his  five  pounds. 
Take  my  word  for  it,  we^ve  seen  the  last  of  him." 

I  went  „to  my  room  and  prepared  for  bed.  At 
the  last  moment  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  had  said 
nothing  to  the  doctor  about  Capper,  or  about  the 
treachery  of  Harvey  Scoffold,  and  I  decided  that  that 
omission  was  perhaps,  after  all,  for  the  best.  The 
business  of  the  man  Capper  was  one  which  concerned 
Debora,  in  a  sense,  and  I  knew  that  the  doctor  was 
no  friend  to  Debora.  I  determined  to  say  nothing 
at  present. 

It  was  a  particularly  warm  night,  with  a  suggestion 
in  the  air  of  a  coming  storm.  I  threw  back  the 
curtains  from  my  window,  and  flung  the  window  wide, 
and  then,  as  there  was  light  enough  for  me  to  undress 
by  without  the  lamp,  I  put  that  out,  and  sat  in  the 
semi-darkness  of  the  room,  smoking,  I  was  thinking 
of  many  things  while  I  slipped  off  my  upper  garments, 
and  only  gradually  did  it  dawn  upon  me  that  across 


I   BEHAVE   DISGRACEFULLY.  123 

the  grounds  a  light  was  showing  where  no  hght  should 
surely  be.  Taking  my  bearings  in  regard  to  the 
position  of  the  house  itself,  IJsaw^that  that  light 
would  come  from  the  loft  above'the  disused  stable, 

I  cursed  George  Rabbit  and  my  own  folly  for 
trusting  him.  At  the  same  time  it  occurred  to  me 
that  I  did  not  want  to  make  an  enemy  of  the  man, 
and  that  I  might  well  let  him  alone,  to  take  what 
risks  he  chose.  The  light  was  perfectly  steady,  and 
there  was  no  suggestion  of  the  flicker  of  a  blaze  ;  I 
thought  it  possible  that  he  might  have  discovered 
some  old  stable  lantern,  with  an  end  of  candle  in  it, 
and  so  have  armed  himself  against  the  terrors  of 
the  darkness.  Nevertheless,  while  I  leaned  on  the 
window-sill  and  smoked  I  watched  that  light. 

"^Presently  I  saw  it  move,  and  then  disappear  ;  and 
while  I  was  congratulating  myself  on  the  fact  that 
the  man  had  probably  put  out  the  light,  I  saw  it 
appear  again  near  the  ground,  and  this  time  it  was 
swinging,  as  though  someone  carried  it.  I  drew  back 
a  little  from  the  window,  lest  I  should  be  seen,  and 
watched  the  light. 

JWhoever  carried  it  was  coming  towards  the  house, 
and  as  it  swung  I  saw  that  it  was  a  lantern,  and  that 
it  was  knocking  gently,  not  against  the  leg  of  a  man, 
as  I  had  anticipated,  but  against  the  skirts  of  a 
woman  ;  so  much  I  made  out  clearly.  When  the 
light  was  so  close  as  to  be  almost  under  my  window  I 
craned  forward,  and  looked,  for  it  had  stopped. 

The  next  moment  I  saw  what  I  wanted  to  see 
clearly.  The  lantern  was  raised,  and  opened  ;  a  face 
was  set  close  to  it  that  the  light  might  be  blown  out. 
In  the  second  before  the  light  was  puffed  out  I  saw 
that  face  clearly — the  face  of  Martha  Leach  ! 

Long  after  she  had  gone  into  the  house  I  stood  there 
puzzling  about  the  matter,  wondering  what  she  could 
have  had  to'say  to  George^Rabbit.  I^remembered 
how  she  had  come  into  the  room  when  he  was  taking 


124  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

the  money  from  the  table  ;  I  remembered,  too,  her 
threat  to  me,  at  an  earlier  time,  that  she  would  find 
out  how  I  came  into  the  house  and  all  about  me. 
And  I  knew  that,  whether  she  had  succeeded  or 
not,  she  had  paid  that  nocturnal  visit  to  George 
Rabbit  to  find  out  from  him  what  he  knew. 

I  found  myself  wondering  whether  the  man  had 
stood  firm,  or  whether  he  had  been  induced  to  tell 
the  truth.  I  knew  that  in  the  latter  case  I  had  an 
enemy  in  the  house  more  powerful  than  any  I  had 
encountered  yet ;  so  much  justice  at  least  I  aid  her. 

At  breakfast  the  next  morning  the  doctor  was  in  a 
new  mood.  Something  to  my  surprise,  I  found  both 
him  and  Debora  at  the  breakfast  table  when  I 
entered  ;  I  may  say  that  I  had  been  to  that  loft  over 
the  stable,  only  to  find,  as  I  had  hoped,  that  my  bird 
was  flown.  Now  I  murmured  a  word  of  ajxjlogy  as 
I  moved  round  to  my  place,  and  was  laughingly 
answered  by  Bardolph  Just. 

"  You  should  indeed  ap>ologise,  my  dear  John, 
on  such  an  occasion  as  this,"  he  said.  "  And 
not  to  me,  but  to  the  lady.  Don't  you  know  what 
to-day  is  ?  " 

I  think  I  murmured  stupidly  that  I  thought  it  was 
Tuesday,  but  the  doctor  caught  me  up  on  the  word, 
with  another  laugh. 

"  Yes,  but  what  a  Tuesday !  It  is  Debora's 
birthday  !  " 

"  All  my  good  wishes,"  I  said,  turning  to  her  at 
once  ;  and  I  was  rewarded  by  a  quick  shy  glance  and 
a  smile. 

*'  Come,  show  John  what  I've  given  you  ;  let  him 
see  it,"  exclaimed  the  doctor.  "  Or  stay — ^let  me 
put  it  on  !  " 

I  saw  then  that  there  was  lying  beside  her  plate 
a  little  red  morocco  case.  Without  looking  at  him, 
she  pushed  it  along  the  table  until  his  hand  could 
reach  it,  and  let  her  own  arm  Ue  passive  there  after- 


I   BEHAVE  DISGRACEFULLY.         125 

wards.  He  unfastened  the  case,  and  displayed  a 
glittering  and  very  beautiful  bracelet. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  he  cried.  "  Fit 
to  adorn  the  prettiest  and  whitest  arm  in  the  wofld." 

It  was  curious  that,  while  her  arm  lay  along  the 
table,  and  he  took  his  time  in  fitting  the  bracelet 
round  the  wrist,  she  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  me,  so  that 
her  head  was  averted  from  him.  Even  when  he  had 
finished  the  business,  and  had  put  her  hand  to  his  lips 
for  a  moment,  she  did  not  look  round  ;  she  only  with- 
drew the  hand  quickly,  and  put  it  in  her  lap  under 
the  table.  I  saw  his  face  darken  at  that,  and  those 
white  dots  come  and  go  in  his  nostrils. 

"  A  great  day,  I  assure  you,  John,  and  we'll  make 
a  great  day  of  it.  We're  having  a  little  dinner-party 
to-night  in  honour  of  the  event.  Debora  doesn't 
seem  to  care  for  pretty  things  much,"  he  added  a 
little  sourly. 

"  Thank  you  ;  it  is  very  kind  of  you,"  she  mur- 
mured in  a  constrained  voice ;  and  put  the  arm  that 
held  the  bracelet  on  the  table. 

I  felt  a  poor  creature,  in  more  senses  than  one,  in 
being  able  to  give  her  nothing,  and  I  felt  that  I  wanted 
to  tell  her  that.  So  I  contrived  a  meeting  in  the 
grounds,  out  of  sight  of  the  house,  and  there  for  a 
moment  I  held  her  hand,  and  stumbled  over  what 
was  in  my  heart. 

"  You  know  all  the  good  things  I  wish  you,  dear 
Debora,"  I  said.  "  I  have  no  gift  for  you,  because 
I'm  too  poor  ;  besides,  I  didn't  know  what  day  it  was. 
But  my  heart  goes  out  to  you,  in  loyalty  and  in 
service." 

"  I  know — I  know,"  she  answered  simply.  "  And 
that  is  why  I  want  to  say  something  to  you — some- 
thing that  you  must  not  laugh  at." 

"  I  should  never  do  that,"  I  assured  her  earnestly. 

"  John,  I  am  growing  desperately  afraid,"  she  said, 
glancing  over  her  shoulder  as  she  spoke,  and  shudder- 


126  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

ing.  "  It  is  not  that  anything  fresh  has  happened  ; 
it  is  only  that  I  feel  somehow  that  something  is 
hanging  over  me.  It  is  in  the  air — in  the  doctor's 
eyes — in  the  looks  of  the  woman  Leach  ;  it  is  like 
some  storm  brewing,  that  must  presently  sweep 
down  upon  me,  and  sweep  me  away.  I  know  it — 
I  know  it.*' 

In  sheer  blind  terror  at  what  was  in  her  own 
thoughts  she  clung  to  me,  weeping  hysterically,  and 
for  my  own  part  I  was  more  shaken  than  I  dared  to 
say.  For  that  thought  had  been  in  my  mind,  too  ; 
and  now  instantly  I  recalled  what  I  had  heard  behind 
the  screen  in  the  study  the  night  before.  But  I  would 
not  let  her  see  that  I  agreed  with  her  ;  I  did  my  best 
to  laugh  her  out  of  that  mood,  and  to  get  her  into  a 
more  cheerful  one. 

In  part,  at  least,  I  succeeded  ;  I  assured  her  over 
and  over  again  that  no  harm  should  come  to  her 
while  I  was  near.  Yet  even  as  I  said  it  I  realised  mj' 
own  helplessness,  and  how  difficult  a  task  I  had  to 
fight  against  those  who  were  her  enemies.  For  I  was 
convinced  that  the  woman  Leach  was,  if  anything, 
the  greater  enemy  of  the  two,  by  reason  of  that  mad 
jealousy  to  which  she  had  already  given  expression. 
In  the  strangest  way  it  was  Martha  Leach  who 
precipitated  matters  that  night,  as  I  shall  endeavour 
to  explain,  in  the  order  of  the  strange  events  as  they 
happened.  In  the  first  place,  you  are  to  know  that 
Harvey  Scoff  old,  having  doubtless  been  duly  warned, 
put  in  an  appearance  that  night,  resplendent  in 
evening  dress,  while  the  doctor  did  equal  honour  to 
the  occasion.  I  had  a  tweed  suit  which  the  doctor 
had  procured  for  me  ;  and  glad  enough  I  had  been,  I 
can  assure  you,  to  discard  the  garments  of  the  dead 
man.  I  thought  but  little  of  my  dress,  however, 
that  night,  so  mtent  was  I  upon  watching  what  was 
taking  place  at  the  table. 
Harvey  Scoffold  took  a  great  quantity  of  cham- 


I   BEHAVE   DISGRACEFULLY.  127 

pagne,  and  the  doctor  app)eared  to  do  so  also  ;  in 
reality,  however,  I  saw  that  he  drank^very*little. 
He  pressed  wine  upon  Debora  again  and  again,  and 
Martha  Leach,  who  stood  behind  his  chair,  was 
constantly  at  the  girl's  elbow  with  a  freshly-opened 
bottle.  Debora  did  no  more  than  sip  the  wine,  how- 
ever, despite  the  doctor's  entreaties.  In  a  lull  in 
the  conversation,  while  the  servants  were  out  of  the 
room  and  only  Martha  Leach  was  present  behind  the 
doctor's  chair,  I  distinctly  saw  him  noiselessly  snap 
his  fingers,  and  whisper  something  to  her,  and  glance 
towards  the  girl.  It  was  as  though  there  was  a 
secret  understanding  between  the  man  and  the 
woman. 

Then  it  was  that  I  came  to  my  resolution  ;  then  it 
was  that,  to  the  astonishment  of  everyone,  I  began 
to  get  noisy.  I  had  all  my  wits  about  me,  for  I  had 
drunk  but  little,  and  my  head  was  clear  ;  but  at  my 
end  of  the  table  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  tell 
how  much  I  had  really  taken.  I  made  a  pretence  of 
staggering  to  my  feet  and  proposing  a  toast,  onl}^  to 
be  pushed  down  into  my  seat  again  by  Harvey 
Scoff  old. 

"  Be  careful,"  he  whispered,  with  a  laugh.  "  You're 
not  used  to  this  sort  of  drink  ;  you've  taken  too  much 
already." 

I  staggered  to  my  feet  again,  demanding  to  know 
what  he  meant  by  it,  and  asserting  my  ability,  drun- 
kenly,  to  carry  as  much  as  any  gentleman.  I  saw 
Debora,  with  a  distressed  face,  rise  from  the  table  and 
go,  and  desperately  enough  I  longed  to  be  able  to 
explain  to  her  what  I  was  doing. 

I  insisted,  with  threats,  upon  having  more  wine, 
until  at  last  the  doctor  and  Scoffold  got  up  and 
made  their  way  upstairs.  There,  in  the  study, 
Scoff  old  said  that  he  had  a  walk  before  him,  and 
must  be  going. 

"  Well,  we'll  have  Debora  in,  and  you  shall  wish 


128  DEAD  MAN*S   LOVE. 

her  many  happy  returns  of  the  day  once  more 
before  you  go,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he  rang  the 
bell.     "  John  looks  as  if  he  were  asleep.** 

I  was  not  asleep  by  any  means  ;  but  I  was  sunk 
all  of  a  heap  in  an  arm-chair,  snoring,  and  with  my 
eyes  apparently  shut.  It  did  not  escape  me  that, 
on  the  ringing  of  that  bell,  Martha  Leach  appeared 
at  once,  with  a  bottle  and  glasses  on  a  tray ;  and 
once  again  I  saw  that  meaning  glance  flash  from 
her  to  the  doctor,  and  back  agam. 

Then,  very  slowly,  the  door  oi>ened,  and  Debora 
came  in,  looking  about  her.  And  I  lay  in  that 
apparent  drunken  sleep,  with  every  sense  attuned 
to  what  was  about  to  happen,  and  with  my  eyes 
watching  through  their  half-closed  lids. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

IN   THE   CAMP  OF   THE   ENEMYj 

As  I  lay  huddled  up  in  that  deep  arm-chair,  watch- 
ing what  was  going  on,  I  noticed  with  satisfaction 
that  they  took  no  more  notice  of  me  than  if  I  had 
really  been  in  the  drunken  slumber  in  which  they 
assumed  me  to  be — which  was  well  for  my  purpose. 
So  carefully  and  deliberately  had  I  thought  the 
matter  out,  that  I  had  even  arranged  my  position 
in  the  room  with  a  view  to  the  proving  of  my 
suspicions  ;  for  I  had  seen,  in  the  bringing  of  this 
quite  unnecessary  bottle  of  wine,  something  about 
to  be  done  which  should  concern  the  girl.  And 
everything  in  the  attitude  of  the  doctor  and 
Martha  Leach  seemed  to  scream  "  Danger "  to 
my  ears. 

The  position  I  had  chosen  was  such  that  I  could 
see  not  only  the  room  in  which  Harvey  Scoffold, 
the  doctor,  and  Debora  were  standing  grouped  about 
the  table,  but  also  behind  the  screen  which  hid  the 
many  bottles  in  that  part  of  the  room  I  have  called 
the  surgery.  The  better  to  keep  up  the  illusion  of 
my  drunkenness,  I  now  began  feebly  to  wave  my 
arms,  and  to  croon  a  song,  as  I  lay  doubled  up 
with  my  chin  sunk  on  my  breast ;  and  I  saw  the 
doctor  look  at  me  with  some  contempt,  and  shrug 
his  shoulders,  and  then  glance  at  Martha  Leach, 

1.9  I 


130  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

who  had  remained  waiting  as  though  to  assist  with 
the  bottle  and  glasses.  The  glance  he  gave  her 
spoke  as  plainly  as  words  could  do  his  satisfaction 
in  my  condition — Debora's  protector  was  inert  and 
useless. 

What  now  happened  was  this.  Harvey  Scoffold, 
who  I  am  convinced  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  business  in  hand,  had  engaged  tlie  girl  in 
conversation,  and  had  interposed  his  broad  bulk 
between  her  and  the  doctor  and  Leach.  He  had 
his  legs  set  wide  apart,  and  his  hands  were  clasped 
behind  his  back,  and  he  was  talking  in  a  loud  tone 
to  Debora,  who  seemed  somewhat  mystified  by  the 
whole  proceedings.  And  the  doctor  and  Martha 
Leach  had  drawn  close  together,  and  while  the 
doctor  watched  the  broad  back  of  Harvey  Scoffold, 
he  covertly  whispered  to  the  woman. 

"  And  so,  my  dear  young  lady,  I  am  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  toasting  jou  in  a  special  glass  before 
I  retire  to  my  humble  bachelor  quarters — eh  ?  " 
Harvey  Scoffold  w^is  saying  in  his  loud  tones. 
"  This  is  a  new  experience  for  me — bright  eyes — 
sparkling  wine — merry  hearts  !  " 

"  I  don't  think  anyone  wants  any  more  wine 
to-night,"  I  heard  Debora  say  quickly.  "  One,  at 
least,  of  us  has  had  more  than  enough." 

I  knew  that  was  meant  for  me,  and  my  heart  was 
bitter  at  the  thought  of  what  she  must  be  thinking 
of  the  man  who  had  called  himself  her  friend.  But 
there  was  no  help  for  it ;  I  had  to  play  the  game  out 
to  the  end,  for  her  sake. 

The  doctor  had  made  a  quick  sign  to  Leach,  and 
she  had  gone  behind  the  screen.  From  where  I 
lay,  with  my  hands  foolishly  and  feebly  waving, 
and  my  lips  crooning  out  the  song,  I  could  see  her 
distinctly  ;  and  what  I  saw  caused  my  heart  almost 
to  stand  still.  She  picked  up  a  small  phial  from 
the  corner  of  a  shelf,  and  shpped  it  within  the 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.        131 

folds  of  her  dress  ;  and  the  next  moment  was  stand- 
ing beside  the  doctor  again.  I  saw  their  hands 
meet,  and  I  saw  the  phial  pass  from  the  one  to  the 
other.  Then  the  doctor  shpped  both  hands  into 
his  pockets,  and  moved  towards  the  table,  which, 
as  it  happened,  stood  between  him  and  Harvey 
Scoff  old. 

He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  Scoffold  and  the  girl, 
and  very  quietly  and  very  stealthily  drew  the  phial 
from  his  pocket,  and  opened  it.  Moving  his  hand 
a  little  to  the  right,  he  dropped  the  contents  of  the 
phial  into  the  glass  nearest  to  me.  It  was  a  mere 
colourless  liquid,  and  would  not  have  been  noticed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  glass.  Then  the  phial  was 
slipped  back  into  his  pocket,  and  somewhat  boister- 
ously he  picked  up  the  bottle  and  proceeded  to  open 
it.  Martha  Leach,  with  one  long  glance  at  the 
girl,  passed  silently  out  of  the  room,  and  closed 
the  door. 

"  Come — ^just  one  glass  of  wine  before  this  merry 
party  separates ! "  cried  Bardolph  Just  as  the  cork 
popped  out.  "  And  we'll  have  no  heel-taps  ;  we'll 
drain  our  glasses.     I  insist !  " 

Harvey  Scoffold  turned  round  and  advanced  to 
the  table.  Bardolph  Just  had  filled  that  glass  into 
which  he  had  dropped  the  contents  of  the  phial, 
and  was  filling  the  second  glass.  I  felt  that  the 
time  for  action  had  arrived.  Just  as  he  got  to  the 
third  glass  I  staggered  to  my  feet,  apparently  tripped 
on  the  carpet,  and  went  headlong  against  him  and 
the  table.  I  heard  him  splutter  out  an  oath  as  the 
table  went  over  and  the  glasses  fell  with  a  crash  to 
the  floor. 

He  swung  round  upon  me  menacingly,  but  before 
he  could  do  anything  I  had  wrenched  the  bottle 
from  his  hand,  and  with  a  wild  laugh  had  swung  it 
round  my  head,  spilling  the  wine  over  me  as  I  did 
so.     Then,  with  a  last  drunken  hiccou|h,  I  flung  the 


132  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

bottle  clean  against  the  window,  and  heard  it  crash 
through,  and  fall  to  the  ground  below 

"  To  the  devil  with  all  drink ! "  I  exclaimed 
thickly,  and  dropped  back  into  my  chair  again. 

For  a  moment  the  two  men  stared  blankly  at 
each  other,  and  at  the  wreck  of  glass  and  wine  upon 
the  carpet.  I  was  waiting  for  an  attack  from  the 
doctor,  and  bracing  myself  for  it ;  but  the  attack 
did  not  come.  True,  he  made  one  step  towards 
me,  and  then  drew  himself  up,  and  turned  with  a 
smile  to  Debora. 

"  I'm  sorry,  my  child,"  he  said,  in  his  most  win- 
ning tones.  "  I  did  not  mean  to  have  had  your 
pleasure  spoilt  like  this.  If  you  will  go  to  your 
room,  I  will  try  to  get  rid  of  this  fellow.  Harvey," 
he  added  in  a  lower  tone  to  Scoffold,  "  give  an 
eye  to  him  for  a  moment." 

He  followed  Debora  out  of  the  room,  closing  the 
door  behind  him.  I  had  determined  by  this 
time  to  show  my  hand,  and  Harvey  Scoffold 
gave  me  the  opportunity.  He  strode  across  to 
me,  and  took  me  by  the  shoulder,  and  shook  me 
violently. 

"  Come,  pull  yourself  together  ;  it's  time  you  were 
in  bed,"  he  said. 

I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  thrust  him  aside.  I 
think  I  never  saw  a  man  so  astonished  in  all  his 
life  as  he  was,  to  see  me  alert  and  quick  and  clear- 
eyed.  "  That's  all  you  know  about  the  business," 
I  said.  "  I'm  more  sober  than  either  of  you.  Now, 
hold  your  tongue,  and  wait  ;  I've  a  word  to  say  to 
Bardolph  Just,  and  it  won't  keep." 

Bardolph  Just  opened  the  door  at  that  moment, 
and  came  in.  By  that  time  I  was  standing,  with 
my  hands  in  my  pockets,  watching  him,  and  some- 
thing in  my  face  and  in  my  attitude  seemed  to  give 
him  pause  ;  he  stopped  just  inside  the  door,  staring 
{^t  iTie.     Harvey  Scoffold  looked  from  one  to  the 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.        133 

other  of  us,  as  though  wondering  what  game  was 
afoot. 

"  Now,  Dr.  Bardolph  Just,"  I  said,  "  I'U  trouble 
you  for  that  phial.  It's  in  your  right-hand  trouser 
pocket.     Pass  it  over." 

Instead  of  complying  with  that  request,  he  sud- 
denly sucked  in  a  deep  breath,  and  made  a  rush  at 
me.  But  he  had  mistaken  his  man  ;  I  caught  him 
squarely  on  the  jaw  with  my  fist,  and  he  went 
down  at  my  feet.  After  a  moment  or  two  he  looked 
up  at  me,  sitting  there  foolishly  enough  on 
the  floor,  and  began  to  tell  me  what  he  thought 
of   me. 

"  You  dog  !  So  this  is  the  way  you  repay  my 
kindness  to  you,  is  it  ?  "  he  muttered.  "  You 
scum  of  a  jail ! — this  is  what  I  get  for  befriending 
you." 

"  Never  mind  about  me,"  I  retorted,  "  we'll  come 
to  my  case  presently.  Just  now  I  want  to  talk 
about  Miss  Debora  Matchwick,  and  I  want  to  know 
exactly  what  it  was  you  put  into  the  wine  destined 
for  her  to-night." 

"  You're  mad  !  "  he  said,  getting  slowly  to  his 
feet,  and  looking  at  me  in  a  frightened  way. 

"  No,  I'm  not  mad  ;  nor  am  I  drunk,"  I  retorted. 
"  You  and  the  woman  Leach  thought  you  were 
safe  enough  ;  look  at  me  now,  and  tell  me  how 
much  you  think  I  have  seen.  Your  fine  words 
mean  nothing ;  murder's  your  game,  and  3'ou 
know  it ! " 

All  this  time  Harvey  Scoffold  had  said  nothing  ; 
he  had  merely  looked  from  one  to  the  other  of  us, 
with  something  like  a  growing  alarm  in  his  face. 
But  now  he  stepped  forward  as  though  he  would 
Understand  the  matter  better,  or  would  at  least  put 
an  end  to  the  scene. 

"  My  dear  Just,  and  you,  Norton  Hyde,  what 
does  all  this  mean  ?     C^n't  you  be  reasonable,  an4 


134  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

talk  over  the  matter  like  gentlemen.  What's  this 
talk  of  phials  and  stuff  put  into  wine,  and  murder, 
and  what  not  ? 

"  It's  true  !  "  I  exclaimed  passionately.  "  This 
is  the  second  time  that  man  has  tried  to  kill  her, 
but  it  shall  be  the  last.  The  thing  is  too  barefaced 
— too  outrageous  !  " 

*'  Well,  ray  fine  jail-bird,  and  what  are  you  going 
to  do  ?  "  demanded  the  doctor,  having  now  regained 
the  mastery  over  himself.  "  Fine  words  and  high 
sentiments ;  but  they  never  broke  any  bones  yet. 
Tell  me  your  accusation  clearly,  and  I  shall  know 
how  to  meet  it." 

So  I  gave  it  them  then  and  there,  in  chapter  and 
verse  ;  thus  letting  Harvey  Scoffold  know,  for  the 
first  time,  of  tliat  business  of  the  eastern  corridor, 
and  of  the  mysterious  door  that  op>ened  only  once 
to  the  road  to  death  ;  moreover,  I  put  it  plainly 
now,  that  I  had  seen  the  woman  Martha  Leach  take 
the  phial  and  hand  it  to  him  ;  that  I  had  pretended 
drunkenness  to  lull  his  suspicions  of  me,  and  to 
be  ready  when  he  least  e.xpected  me  to  upset 
his   plot. 

He  listened  in  silence,  with  his  teeth  set  firmly, 
and  his  dark  eyes  glittering  at  me  ;  then  he  nodded 
slowly,  and  spoke. 

"  And  the  man  you  accuse  is  one  holding  a  big 
position  in  the  world — a  man  against  whom  no 
breath  of  scandal  or  suspicion  has  ever  been  sent 
forth,"  he  said.  "  A  man  known  in  many  coun- 
tries of  the  world — member  of  learned  societies — a 
man  with  a  name  to  conjure  with.  And  what  of 
his  accuser  ?  " 

I  knew  that  he  would  say  that ;  I  knew  before- 
hand the  helplessness  of  my  f)osition.  But  I  was 
reckless,  and  I  did  not  care  what  I  said  or  what 
I  did. 

"  Ypur  accuser  is  a  fugitive  from  the  law ;    a 


IN  THE  CAMP  Of  THE  ENEMY.        135 

man  who  lives  under  an  assumed  name,  and  who 
has  taken  advantage  of  the  death  of  an  innocent 
man  to  begin  hfe  again  on  his  own  account.  You 
need  not  remind  me  of  that,"  I  went  on,  "  because 
I  admit  it  all.  So  far,  I  am  in  your  power  ;  but  my 
position,  as  something  outside  the  pale  of  ordinary 
society,  gives  me  a  greater  power  than  you  think. 
I  have  everything  to  win  ;  I  have  nothing  to  lose. 
If  you  had  chosen  a  better  man,  and  had  given  him 
the  chance  to  pry  into  your  secrets,  you  might 
have  had  some  hold  upon  him.  So  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  I  am  utterly  reckless,  and  utterly 
determined  to  save  this  girl." 

"  Brave  words — very  brave  words  !  "  he  said, 
with  a  sneer,  "  And  how  do  you  propose  to  set 
about  it  ?  " 

"  I  intend  to  get  her  out  of  this  house.  I  intend 
to  look  after  her,  if  I  have  to  steal  to  do  it.  I'm 
an  adept  at  that,  you  will  remember,"  I  said  bitterly, 
*'  only  this  time  I  shall  do  it  in  a  good  cause.  I 
mean  to  get  her  out  of  this  house,  and  it  will  go  ill 
with  you  if  you  try  to  prevent  me." 

He  laughed  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  ;  then  he 
turned  to  Scol^old.  "If  he  were  not  so  mad 
he  would  be  amusing,  this  fellow,"  he  said. 
But  Harvey  Scoffold,  somewhat  to  my  surprise, 
was  silent,  and  did  not  look  at  him.  I  saw 
a  frown  come  quickly  upon  the  face  of  Bardolph 
Just. 

"  And  pray  what's  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  snapped 
the  doctor  at  him. 

"  Nothing — nothing  at  all !  "  said  Scoffold,  in 
a  constrained  tone.  "I'll  say  good-night ! "  He 
turned  towards  the  door,  and  I  noticed  that  his 
head  was  bowed,  and  that  he  looked  at  the  carpet 
as  he  moved. 

Bardolph  Just  stepped  suddenly  in  front  of  him. 
"  Look  here,  you're  not  going  Uke  that  ?  "  he  said. 


136  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE.  / 

"  I'll  have  some  word  from  you  about  this  affair 
before  you  leave  my  house." 

Harvey  Scoff  old  looked  up  quickly.  "  Then 
here's  the  word,"  he  said  aggressively.  "I'm 
rather  inclined  to  beheve  your  friend  here,  and  I 
don't  like  the  business.  It's  a  dirty  business,  and 
I've  seen  enough  of  it,  and  of  you.     Good-night  !  " 

He  thrust  his  way  past  the  other  man,  and  swag- 
gered out  of  the  room.  I  was  so  surprised  and  so 
relieved  that  I  was  in  a  mood  to  run  after  him,  and 
hug  him,  in  sheer  joy  at  finding  an  honest  man  ; 
but  I  refrained. 

With  the  closing  of  the  door  the  doctor  stood  for 
a  moment,  dazed  ;  then  he  opened  the  door  again, 
and  ran  out  after  the  other.  I  pitied  him  for  his 
weakness  in  doing  that,  because  I  felt  absolutely 
certain  in  my  own  mind  that  he  would  not  change 
Harvey  Scoffold's  opinion  of  him.  I  had  hated 
Harvey  Scoffold  pretty  cordially  on  my  own  ac- 
count, and  by  reason  of  my  misfortunes  ;  now  I 
began  to  see  (as,  alas  !  I  had  seen  so  often  with 
other  men,  and  all  to  my  own  undoing)  that  I  had 
cruelly  misjudged  him.  However,  I  had  said  all  I 
wanted  to  say  to  the  doctor,  and  I  started  off  to 
my  room. 

Now,  had  I  been  of  a  suspicious  nature,  I  must 
have  been  disturbed  at  the  sight  of  the  doctor  and 
Harvey  Scoffold  engaged  in  earnest  talk  at  the  end 
of  the  corridor  which  led  from  the  study  ;  but  as, 
the  moment  I  appeared,  Scoffold  shook  himself 
angrily  free  of  the  other's  clutch,  and  burst  out 
with  a  shout,  I  was  more  than  ever  convinced 
that  the  doctor  had  been  pleading  with  him  in 
vain. 

"  I  tell  you  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  you  !  " 
exclaimed  Scoffold.  "  I  wish  I'd  never  come  into 
the  house.  Not  another  word ;  I've  done  with 
you  !  " 


In  the  cAxMp  of  the  enemy.      137 

I  heard  the  great  hall  door  bang,  and  I  knew  that 
Scoffold  was  gone  ;  the  doctor,  retracing  his  steps, 
favoured  me  with  a  scowl  as  he  went  past,  but  said 
nev-er  a  word  ;  while  I,  greatly  elated  at  having 
found  a  friend  in  this  business,  went  off  to  my 
room,  determined  that  in  some  vague  fashion  I 
would  put  matters  right  in  the  morning,  and  defy 
Bardolph  Just  to  do  his  worst. 

As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  1  had  forgotten  one 
important  point.  In  the  eyes  of  Debora  I  had 
disgraced  myself  ;  she  had  every  reason  to  believe 
me  the  drunken  madman  who  had  hurled  bottles, 
and  broken  windows,  and  upset  furniture  the  night 
before.  I  had  forgotten  that  when  I  entered  the 
breakfast-room  in  the  morning,  and  found  her 
standing  by  the  window.  I  made  my  way  eagerly 
to  her.  To  my  momentary  surprise,  she  drew  back, 
as  though  fearing  contact  with  me. 

"  Debora  !  "  I  began  eagerly  ;  but  she  drew  herself 
up  and  looked  at  me  haughtily. 

"  Mr.  New,  your  memory  is  a  poor  one,"  she  said. 
"  I'm  afraid  you  don't  remember  what  happened 
last  night." 

"  My  dear  Debora,"  I  exclaimed  eagerly,  "  I  can 
explain  all  that — I  can  show  you " 

I  heard  the  door  open  behind  me,  and  I  stopped. 
Bardolph  Just  came  into  the  room,  and  stopped  on 
seeing  me,  looking  at  me  frowningly.  It  was  with 
a  very  virtuous  air  that  he  addressed  me. 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you  are  striving  to  make  your 
peace  with  Miss  Matchwick,"  he  said.  "  She  has 
been  in  the  habit  of  dealing  with  gentlemen,  and 
is  not  used  to  such  scenes  as  she  witnessed  last 
night." 

I  gave  him  a  look  which  showed  him  I  understood 
his  drift ;  he  was  silent  for  the  moment  or  two  that 
it  took  us  to  get  to  our  places  at  the  table.  But 
he  evidently  felt  that  he  must  labour  the  point,  for 


13S  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVfi. 

he  was  at  me  again  before  ever  I  had  tasted  a 
mouthful. 

"  I  expect  you'll  have  but  a  poor  appetite  this 
morning,  John  New,"  he  said,  "  therefore  I  won't 
trouble  you  witli  food.  Take  Mr.  New  a  cup  of 
tea,"  he  added  to  Martha  Leach,  who  stood  behind 
him. 

I  felt  that  that  was  rather  petty,  but  somehow 
worthy  of  the  man.  I  drank  my  tea,  and  went 
without  the  substantial  breakfast  I  should  have 
been  glad  to  have  eaten.  After  all,  I  felt  that  the 
game  was  in  my  hands,  and  that  I  could  well  afford 
to  let  him  wreak  such  petty  vengeance  as  this  ujjon 
me.  I  waited  eagerly  until  the  meal  was  finished  ; 
I  meant  to  get  speech  with  the  girl,  by  hook  or  by 
crook,  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  I  knew  how 
pressing  was  the  need  ;  I  knew  how  relentless  the 
man  at  the  head  of  the  table  and  the  apparently 
docile  woman  behind  him  would  be  in  regard  to 
Debora,  and  how  powerless  I,  a  creature  of  no  real 
name  or  position,  would  be  in  the  matter,  unless 
I  could  win  the  girl  to  beheve  me. 

I  found  that  a  more  difficult  task  even  than  I 
had  anticipated.  Indeed,  she  avoided  me  for  some 
time,  and  when  at  last  I  came  in  touch  with  her, 
she  drew  herself  up,  with  that  pretty  little  lift  of 
her  chin  I  had  noticed  before,  and  warned  me 
away. 

"  I  want  nothing  to  do  with  you,  Mr.  New,"  she 
began.  But  I  was  not  to  be  repulsed  ;  the  matter 
was  much  too  urgent  for  that.  I  walked  close  up 
to  her,  determined  that  I  would  have  the  matter 
out  then  and  there. 

"  You  must  let  me  explain,"  I  said.  "  If  you 
don't  you  will  regret  it  all  your  life.  You  thought 
I  was  drunk  last  night,  but  I  was  not." 

I  waited  for  some  response  from  her,  but  she  said 
nothing.     I  went  on  again  eagerly. 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.         139 

"  I  was  shamming,  and  with  a  purpose.  Only 
by  that  means — only  by  making  the  doctor  think 
that  I  WcLS  practically  unconscious  of  what  he  was 
doing,  was  I  able  to  observe  him  clearly.  They 
tried  to  poison  you  last  night." 

I  suppose  she  saw  the  truth  in  my  face  ;  she  came 
suddenly  to  me,  and  laid  her  hands  on  my  arm,  and 
looked  at  me  with  startled  eyes.  "  To  poison  me  ?  " 
she  echoed  breathlessly. 

"  Yes,  the  doctor  and  Martha  Leach.  That  was 
why  I  upset  the  table  and  flung  the  wine  away.  If 
you  had  seen  me  five  minutes  after  you  left  the 
room,  you  would  have  known  what  my  real  con- 
dition was.  The  doctor  knew  it,  I  can  assure 
you  ! "  I  laughed  at  the  recollection. 

Debora  looked  quickly  all  round  about  her,  with 
the  frightened  air  of  one  who  would  escape,  but 
sees  no  way  ;  there  was  a  hunted  look  in  her  eyes 
that  appalled  me.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  she  whis- 
pered. "  I  am  more  frightened  than  I  care  to  say, 
because  I  know  Dr.  Just,  and  I  know  how  relentless 
he  can  be.  Don't  you  understand,  John,"  she  went 
on  piteously,  "  how  utterly  powerless  I  am  ?  Any- 
thing may  happen  to  me  in  this  dreadful  house.  I 
may  be  killed  in  any  one  of  a  dozen  ways  ;  and  this 
weU-known  physician  and  scientist,  against  whom 
no  word  of  suspicion  would  be  spoken,  can  give  an 
easy  account  of  my  death.     What  am  I  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  understand  why  he 
should  wish  to  kill  you,"  I  said,  "  unless  it  be  a 
mere  matter  of  revenge." 

"  It  isn't  that,"  she  answered  me  slowly.  "  You 
see,  my  poor  father  trusted  him  so  completely,  and 
believed  in  him  so  much,  that  in  addition  to  placing 
me  under  his  guardianship  he  put  a  clause  in  his 
will  which,  in  the  event  of  my  death,  leaves  the 
whole  of  my  property  to  Dr.  Bardolph  Just." 

Now,  for  the  first  time.  I  S4w  into  t\\e  heart  q{ 


140  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

this  amazing  business  ;  I  had  probed  the  motive. 
He  would  have  secured  the  girl  if  he  could  ;  failing 
that,  he  would  secure  her  property.  As  he  knew 
that  she  might,  in  any  ordinary  event,  pass  out  of 
his  life,  if  only  by  the  common  gate  of  marriage,  he 
had  determined  to  get  rid  of  her,  and  so  secure 
easily  what  was  hers.  The  whole  thing  was  ex- 
plained now  clearly  enough 

"  What  you  must  do,"  I  answered  steadily, 
wondering  a  little  at  my  own  bravery  in  suggesting 
it,  "  is  to  come  away  from  this  house  with  me.  You 
must  trust  me  to  look  after  you." 

I  realise  now  how  mad  a  proposition  that  was  ; 
but  I  did  not  see  it  in  that  light  then.  I  loved  her, 
and  I  dreaded  what  might  happen  to  her  ;  more 
than  all  else,  I  saw  no  greater  happiness  than  in 
gaining  for  myself  the  dear  privilege  of  watching 
over  her.  You  may  imagine  what  my  feelings  were 
when  I  heard  her  glad  and  eager  assent. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  will  come  willingly,"  she  said. 
*'  Where  will  you  take  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  said  a  little  ruefully,  "  but  we 
can  settle  that  matter  afterwards.  Far  better  for 
us  to  tramp  the  roads,  side  by  side,  in  safety,  than 
for  you  to  remain  in  this  place  a  day  longer.  Now 
listen  to  me,  while  I  tell  you  what  my  plan  is." 

We  were  pacing  up  and  down  a  grass-grown  walk 
while  we  talked  ;  we  were  well  out  of  sight  of  the 
house.  While  I  write  this  I  seem  to  see  again  her 
glowing  face  turned  towards  mine  ;  to  feel  the  touch 
of  her  hands  in  mine  ;  to  hear  the  quick,  eager 
whisper  with  which  she  answered  me.  I  had  cause 
to  remember  that  afterwards,  with  bitterness,  as 
you  shall  presently  hear. 

"  The  chances  are  that  we  shall  be  watched,"  I 
began,  "  because  I  was  foolish  enough  last  night  to 
tell  the  doctor  of  my  intention.  Consequently,  we 
ini^st  not  be  seen  together  during  the  day  ;  we  must 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.        141 

escape  under  cover  of  darkness.  At  ten  o'clock 
to-night  walk  quietly  out  of  the  house,  as  though 
you  were  going  for  a  stroll  in  the  grounds  ;  when 
you  come  to  the  gate,  go  out  into  the  road,  where 
I  shall  be  waiting.  After  that  we  must  leave  the 
rest  to  whatever  good  or  ill  fortune  awaits  us.  At 
some  convenient  time  during  the  day  put  whatever 
you  need  to  take  with  you  in  the  old  summer-house 
where  we  first  met  ;  no  one  visits  that,  and  you  can 
easily  take  the  things  from  there  when  you  finally 
leave  the  house.'" 

So  it  was  settled ;  and  for  that  time  I  knew  that 
we  should  both  wait  eagerly.  I  laughed  a  little 
ruefully  to  myself  at  the  thought  of  how  little 
money  I  had  in  my  pocket  ;  but  that  matter  did  not 
greatly  trouble  me.  The  future  must  take  care  of 
itself  ;  I  liked  to  think  that  Debora  and  I  were  two 
waifs,  setting  out  alone  together,  to  explore  a  great 
unknown  world  in  which  as  yet  we  had  neither  of 
us  had  any  real  chance  of  living.  I  painted  a 
wholly  impossible  future  for  us  both  ;  for  my  own 
part,  I  think  I  felt  capable  of  conquering  worlds, 
and  carving  out  a  position  for  myself  and  for  her. 

The  doctor  chose  to  shut  himself  up  in  his  study 
during  the  day,  and  although  Debora  and  I  had 
lunch  and  dinner  together  in  the  big  dining-room, 
the  woman  Martha  Leach  never  left  us  for  a 
moment,  and  our  conversation  was,  perforce,  con- 
fined to  the  most  trivial  things.  To  any  outside 
observer  Martha  Leach  would  have  appeared  to  be 
merely  a  highly-trained  servant,  devoted  to  us,  and 
anxious  to  anticipate  our  every  want  ;  to  my  clearer 
understanding  she  was  a  spy,  eager  to  bring  about 
that  which  the  doctor  wished,  at  all  costs.  I 
seemed  to  see  her  again  slipping  the  phial  into  the 
doctor's  hand. 

So  closely  were  we  watched  during  the  progress 
of  those   meals,   and  so  careful   did  w^  deem  it 


142  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

necessary  to  be  in  our  behaviour  towards  each  other, 
that  I  had  no  opportunity  of  learning  whether 
Debora  had  succeeded  in  getting  her  hat  and  coat 
and  such  things  as  she  might  need,  into  the  safe 
shelter  of  the  summer-house.  Therefore  I  deter- 
mined, about  an  hour  before  the  time  arranged  for 
the  girl  to  meet  me,  that  I  would  saunter  down  to 
the  place,  to  see  for  myself  that  all  was  well.  My 
preparations  were  soon  made  ;  I  had  merely  to  put 
my  cap  in  my  pocket,  and  so  saunter  out  of  the 
house,  as  though  about  to  stroll  in  the  grounds. 

So  I  came  to  the  summer-house,  and,  walking 
quickly  into  it  quite  unsuspiciously,  came  face  to 
face  with  Mr,  Harvey  Scoffold,  seated  on  the  bench, 
with  his  head  leaning  back  against  the  wall,  and 
his  eyes  closed.  He  had  a  cigar  between  his  lips, 
at  which  he  was  lazily  puffing.  And  beside  him  on 
the  seat  was  a  little  bag,  and  Debora's  hat  and  coat. 

Here,  I  felt,  was  an  end  of  the  game — so  far,  at 
least,  as  that  day  was  concerned.  How  he  had 
contrived  to  blunder  upon  the  affair  I  could  not 
tell ;  I  only  knew  that  the  mere  presence  of  those 
things  there  at  his  side  must  have  given  away  the 
little  plot  at  once.  While  I  stared  at  him  he  opened 
his  eyes,  and  looked  at  me  with  a  smile. 

"  WeU,  dear  boy,  so  here  you  are  at  last ! "  he 
exclaimed  pleasantly.     "  I've  been  waiting  for  you." 

"  Much  obliged  to  you,"  I  retorted  curtly.  "  What 
are  you  doing  here  at  all  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head  at  me,  with  an  air  almost  of 
whimsical  sadness. 

"  My  dear  boy — my  poor,  misguided  boy  !  "  he 
said,  "  why  will  you  always  blunder  so  infernally 
over  your  friends  and  your  enemies  ?  " 

"  I  can  distinguish  pretty  well  between  them, 
thank  you,"  I  assured  him  with  meaning. 

He  shook  his  head  again  and  laughed,  "  Indeed 
you  can't,"  he  answered,     "  Now,  at  the  preseiit 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.       143 

moment,  you  never  needed  a  friend  so  much  in  all 
your  life  ;  and  yet  you  endeavour  to  insult  one  who 
stands  waiting  to  help  you.  Didn't  I  show  last 
night  what  my  real  feelings  were  in  regard  to  this 
business  ?  '' 

I  hesitated,  for  I  remembered  how  loyal  he  had 
seemed  to  be  to  Debora,  and  how  much  repugnance 
he  had  shown  to  what  the  doctor  had  endeavoured 
to  do.  I  suppose  now  he  saw  his  opportunity,  for 
he  began  to  push  the  matter  home. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  said  eagerly,  leaning  forward 
towards  me,  "  what  earthly  chance  will  you  have  of 
helping  this  girl,  if  you  set  out  on  a  wild  goose-chase 
through  the  world  with  her,  without  enough  to  pay 
even  for  a  night's  lodging  ?  Think  for  one  moment  : 
she  has  been  used  to  every  comfort,  she  is  a  lady  in 
every  sense  of  the  word." 

"  God  knows  that's  true  !  "  I  exclaimed  fervently, 

"  Very  well,  then  ;  don't  you  see  how  mad  it  is  ?  " 
he  pleaded. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  mean  to  do  it,"  I  said  doggedly. 
"  Besides,  how  comes  it  that  you  know  what  we're 
going  to  do  ?  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  laughed.  "  My 
dear  boy,  the  thing  is  so  transparent !  I  know 
enough  of  you  to  guess  that  you  wouldn't  allow 
her  to  stay  in  this  place  ;  and  then,  by  the  merest 
chance,  I  saw  her  creeping  through  the  grounds  this 
evening,  and  making  for  this  summer-house.  Later 
I  discovered  these  things  which  she  had  left.  There's 
the  whole  matter  in  a  nutshell." 

"  And  I  suppose  you  think  you'll  prevent  our 
going — or  warn  the  doctor  ?  "  I  said,  in  a  threaten- 
ing tone. 

He  threw  up  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  despair, 
and  seemed  to  appeal  to  the  very  trees  and  the 
stars  against  me.  "  Look  at  this  fellow  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed.    "  What  is  one  to  make  of  him  ?     As  if  I 


144  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

had  suggested  trying  to  stop  you — or  suggested 
warning  Bardolph  Just !  On  the  contrary,  I  swear 
to  you  that  I  am  here  to  help  you." 

He  seemed  so  honest  about  the  matter,  and  had 
taken  my  suspicions  so  good-temperedly,  that  I  was 
disarmed.  "  Tell  me,"  I  said,  "  what  do  you  mean 
to  do  ?     How  will  you  help  us  ?  " 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  spread  out  his  arms  ; 
and  then  suddenly  touched  me  lightly  with  his 
lingers  on  each  shoulder — almost  as  though  he 
would  embrace  me.  "  My  dear  boy,"  he  said  in 
his  eager  fashion,  "  I  am  all  for  romance.  When  I 
see  a  boy  and  a  girl  taking  their  way  out  on  to  the 
great  highway  of  life,  ready  to  Wcilk  iiand  in  hand 
together  to  the  very  end  of  the  road,  my  heart 
leaps  out  towards  them.  Consequently,  when  I 
guessed  your  secret,  I  asked  myself  what  I  could 
do  to  help  you.     And  I  have  found  a  way." 

"  What  is  the  way  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Our  common  foe  is  Dr.  Bardolph  Just,"  he 
said,  lowering  his  voice,  and  looking  about  him  as 
though  he  feared  that  even  in  that  secluded  spot  we 
might  be  overheard.  "  Now,  Dr.  Bardolph  Just 
does  not  know  that  I  have  changed  my  abode  ;  he 
is  totally  unaware  of  the  fact  that  I  reside  within 
a  mile  or  so  of  this  house.  Consequently,  what  is  to 
prevent  your  bringing  the  young  lady  to  that  little 
cottage  of  which  we  both  know,  and  where  there  is 
a  decent  woman  to  look  after  her  ?  Let  the  future 
take  care  of  itself,  if  you  like — but  be  careful  of  the 
present.  I  will  provide  you  with  what  money  is 
necessary,  so  that  while  the  doctor  is  eating  his 
heart  out  with  rage,  and  is  moving  heaven  and 
eartli  to  discover  the  runaways,  you  will  be  lying 
snug  at  my  place,  making  your  arrangements  for 
the  time  to  come." 

I  began  to  think  that  it  was  a  good  enough  plan. 
I  would,  of  course,  infinitely  have  preferred  to  start 


IN  THE   CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.        145 

off  with  Debora  on  some  journey  of  which  we  did 
not  even  know  the  end  ;  but  that  was,  perhaps,  a 
fooHsh  idea,  and  not  one  to  be  encouraged  with 
a  young  girl  to  be  considered.  More  than  that,  as 
Harvey  Scoffold  had  blundered  upon  the  story,  it 
was  quite  impossible  to  keep  him  out  of  it ;  and  I 
knew  that  he  was  a  man  of  that  temper  that,  if 
I  curtly  refused  his  offer,  he  might  well  betake 
himself  to  Bardolph  Just  at  once,  and  let  him  into 
the  whole  secret.  There  were  many  reasons  urging 
me  to  close  with  his  offer,  and,  although  with 
reluctance,  I  did  so. 

"  Very  well,  then  ;  I  accept,"  I  said.  "  Only, 
heaven  help  you  if  you  play  any  tricks  with  us  !  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  laughed  again. 
"  I  hope  some  day  to  be  able  to  convince  you  that 
I  am  not  a  scoundrel,"  he  replied  lightly. 

That  Debora  might  not  be  disconcerted  by  com- 
ing upon  the  man  unexpectedly,  I  persuaded  him  to 
walk  on  a  little  towards  his  house.  I  would  meet 
the  girl,  and  follow  him.  To  that  he  consented, 
and  together  we  walked  to  the  gate  leading  into 
the  road.  Mindful  of  what  I  had  promised  Debora, 
I  stepped  out  into  the  road  myself,  and  watched  the 
man  as  he  strode  rapidly  away.  Then  I  set  myself 
to  wait,  with  what  patience  I  could  muster,  for  the 
coming  of  Debora. 

It  was  a  fine  night,  and  as  I  leaned  against  the 
wall,  waiting,  I  heard  a  clock  in  the  distance  chime 
the  hour  of  ten.  Then  I  heard  the  click  of  the  gate, 
and  my  heart  gave  a  little  leap  as  I  thought  of  who 
was  coming.  Imagine  my  surprise  when,  on  turn- 
ing my  head,  I  saw  a  man  advancing  towards  me 
through  the  shadows.  I  was  turning  abruptly 
away,  not  desiring  to  be  seen  by  anyone  then,  when 
the  man  quickened  his  steps  and  came  after  me. 

"  'Ere,  'old  'ard  !— 'old  'ard  a  bit !  "  he  called  ;  and 
I  stopped  and  faced  about. 

K 


146  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

The  man  was  George  Rabbit,  and  he  was  in  alto- 
gether different  trim  from  anything  I  had  seen 
before.  The  shabby  clothes  were  replaced  by  a 
suit  of  tweeds  of  a  ratlier  smart  cut,  and  a  billycock 
hat  of  a  sporting  type  was  perched  on  his  head. 
He  nodded  impudently,  and  held  out  his  hand.  Of 
that  I  took  no  notice. 

"  Too  proud  to  shake  'ands  with  a  pal — eh  ?  " 
he  said.  "  There's  some  people  wants  to  be  learnt 
a  lesson,  it  seems  to  me.  I've  jist  bin  up  to  the 
'ouse,  and  'is  nibs  there  says  'e  don't  know  me,  an' 
don't  want  anythink  to  do  wiv  me.  An'  I  on'y 
wanted  to  touch  'im  fer  a  quid.'* 

"  You've  had  all  the  money  you'll  get  out  of 
either  of  us,"  I  said  sternly.  "  And  you'd  better 
go  away  now  ;  I  don't  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"  That's  w'ere  we  differ,  guv'nor,"  said  Mr.  Rabbit 
impudently.  "  I'm  goin'  to  stick  to  you  fer  a  bit, 
an'  see  if  I  can't  make  summink  out  of  yer." 

I  wondered  what  I  was  to  do.  I  knew  that  in 
another  moment  that  gate  might  open  again,  and 
Debora  come  out ;  and  I  was  quite  certain  that 
George  Rabbit  would  be  only  too  eager  to  follow  us, 
and  to  make  capital  out  of  our  adventure.  I  thought 
I  would  try  something  more  than  threats  ;  so  I 
advanced  upon  the  man,  and  suddenly  took  him  by 
the  throat,  and  banged  his  head  lustily  with  the  flat 
of  my  hand. 

"  When  I  tell  you  I  want  you  to  go  away  I  mean 
it,"  I  said  between  my  teeth,  as  I  towered  over  him 
in  my  wrath.  "  If  you  don't  get  out  of  this  I'll 
kick  you  into  the  middle  of  next  week." 

He  wriggled  out  of  my  grasp,  and  picked  up  his 
billycock  hat,  which  had  fallen  into  the  road.  He 
gave  me  an  ugly  scowl  as  he  backed  away. 

"  I'll  knife  yer  one  of  these  days,"  he  whimpered — 
"  see  if  I  don't.  You  know  wot  I  could  say  if  I'd 
a  mind  to  say  it — an'  I " 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.       147 

The  door  in  the  wall  had  clicked  again,  and  I  saw 
Debora  coming  swiftly  towards  me.  The  voice  of 
George  Rabbit  died  away  as  he  gazed  on  this  new 
apparition  ;  he  stood  still  at  the  other  side  of  the 
road.  I  took  the  bag  from  Debora's  hand,  and 
turned,  and  hurried  away  with  her  without  a  word  ; 
but  I  had  an  uneasy  feeling  that  Rabbit  was  following. 
I  stopped  once  in  the  darkness,  and  looked  back  ;  and 
I  was  certain  that  he  stopped,  too,  and  waited.  I 
did  not  wish  to  alarm  the  girl  by  calling  out  to  him  ; 
I  could  only  hope  that  we  might  manage  to 
elude  him  before  coming  to  Harvey  Scoffold's 
cottage. 

On  the  way  I  told  Debora  exactly  what  had 
happened,  and  explained  to  her  that  this  seemed  the 
best  and  the  only  thing  for  us  to  do.  She  was  a 
little  disconcerted,  and  urged  me  to  remember  that 
Harvey  Scoffold  was  a  personal  friend  of  the  doctor  ; 
but  on  tliat  point  I  endeavoured  to  re-assure  her, 
by  telling  her  of  the  scene  in  the  study  the  night 
before,  and  of  the  attitude  Scoffold  had  taken. 
Looking  back  on  the  matter  now,  I  wish  with  all 
my  heart  that  I  had  adopted  her  suggestion,  and 
had  flung  caution  to  the  winds,  and  had  gone  off 
with  her  in  some  new  direction  ;  how  much  sorrow 
and  misery  might  have  been  spared  us  if  we  had 
done  that  you  shall  know  hereafter. 

We  came  at  last  to  the  cottage  where  Harvey 
Scoffold  was  lodging,  and  there  I  found  the  man 
awaiting  us.  He  was  courtesy  itself  to  Debora  ;  put 
a  finger  on  his  lips  mysteriously  when  she  would  have 
thanked  him  ;  and  introduced  us  both  to  the  old 
woman  who  kept  the  house.  I  was  beginning  to 
think  that  all  was  very  right,  when  I  heard  a  knock  at 
the  door  of  the  cottage,  and  the  old  woman,  who  had 
been  preparing  supper,  came  out  of  some  room  at  the 
back  to  answer  the  summons.  And  then  for  the  first 
time  I  remembered  George  Rabbit. 


148  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

It  was  his  voice,  sure  enough  ;  he  wanted  to  speak 
to  "  the  gent  'oo'd  jist  gom  in."  I  gave  a  glance  at 
Harvey  Scoffold,  and  went  out  into  the  passage  to 
speak  to  the  man  ;  for  I  felt  that  I  was  in  a  tight 
place. 

"  Nah  then,"  said  George  Rabbit  loudly — "  you 
an'  me  'as  got  to  come  to  some  sort  of  unnerstandin'. 
I'm  a  honest  man,  I  am,  wot's  worked  out  'is  time, 
and  done  'is  little  bit  right  an'  proper  ;  I  ain't  no 
blooming  jail  -  bird,  wot's  cut  'is  lucky  afore  'is 
time." 

I  clapped  a  hand  over  his  mouth  ;  but  it  was  too 
late.  Even  as  I  struggled  with  him,  I  saw  the  door 
of  the  room  in  which  Harvey  Scoffold  and  the  girl 
were  slowly  opening,  and  the  face  of  Harvey 
Scoffold  looked  out.  George  Rabbit  slipped  out 
of  my  grasp  like  an  eel,  and  rushed  to  the  door  of  the 
room,  and  forced  his  way  in.  He  was  absolutely 
mad  with  rage,  and  not  responsible  for  anything 
he  said. 

"  What's  to  do  here— what's  to  do  ?  "  asked 
Scoffold  mildly  ;  yet  I  thought  he  watched  Debora 
as  he  asked  the  question. 

"  Ask  that  man  'is  name  !  "  cried  Rabbit,  pointing 
fiercely  to  me.  "  Ask  'im  'is  name — an'  w'ere  'e 
come  from — an'  wot  jail  'e  broke  out  of  !  " 

I  stood  still,  watching  Debora ;  my  fate  lay  in 
her  hands.  Very  slowly  she  came  across  to 
me,  and  looked  into  my  face,  and  asked  me  a 
question. 

'*  What  does  the  man  mean,  John  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  You  must  please  tell  me." 

I  glanced  appealingly  at  Harvey  Scoffold ;  and 
in  a  moment  I  read  in  his  grimly  set  lips  that  he 
meant  that  the  exposure  should  be  carried  through. 
I  knew  that  if  I  did  not  tell  the  tale  he  would,  in 
some  more  garbled  fashion.  Therefore  w^en  I  spokp 
jt  vyas  tp  hjm. 


IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.       149 

"  If  you'll  take  this  man  away,"  I  said  slowly — 
"  I'll  tell  her  the  truth." 

"  The  truth  is  always  best,  dear  boy,"  he  said, 
with  a  grin. 

So  I  waited  in  a  horrible  silence,  while  the  two  men 
went  out  of  the  room.  Then  when  the  door  was 
closed  I  turned  to  the  girl,  who  was  more  to  me  than 
life  itself ;  and  my  heart  sank  at  the  thought  of  what 
I  had  to  say  to  her. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

misery's  bedfellow. 

For  what  seemed  a  long  time,  but  was  after  all  but 
a  matter  of  moments,  we  stood  in  that  room,  facing 
each  other  ;  and  perhaps  the  bitterest  thing  to  me 
then,  with  the  knowledge  in  my  mind  of  what  1 
liad  to  say,  was  that  when  at  last  she  broke  silence 
she  should  speak  to  me  with  tenderness. 

"  John,  dear,"  she  said  softly,  "  there  is  some 
mystery  here  that  I  don't  understand  ;  I  want  to 
know  all  about  it — all  about  you.  I  trust  you  as  I 
trust  no  other  man  on  earth  ;  there  can  be  nothing 
you  are  afraid  to  tell  me." 

Having  struck  me  that  unconscious  blow,  she  sat 
down  calmly,  and  smiled  at  me,  and  waited  ;  I 
thought  that  never  had  poor  prisoner  trembled  before 
his  judge  as  I  trembled  then. 

"  I  want  you  to  throw  your  mind  back,"  I  began 
at  last,  seeing  that  I  must  get  the  business  over,  "  to 
the  night  when  last  you  saw  Gregory  Pennington." 

She  started,  and  looked  at  me  more  keenly ; 
leaned  forward  over  the  table  beside  her,  and  kept 
her  eyes  fixed  on  my  face. 

"  I  remember  the  evening  well,"  she  said.  "  We 
stood  together  in  the  grounds  of  the  house  ;  he  left 
me  to  go  into  that  house  to  see  my  guardian.  Apd  I 
have  never  seen  hiro  since." 

150 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  15I 

"  When  you  met  Gregory  Pennington  that  night," 
I  went  on,  "  I  lay  in  the  darkness  quite  near  to  you, 
a  forlorn  and  hunted  wretch,  clad  in  a  dress  such  as 
you  have  never  seen — the  dress  of  a  convict." 

She  got  up  quickly  from  her  chair,  and  retreated 
from  me  ;  yet  still  she  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  my 
face.  And  now  I  began  to  see  that  my  cause  was 
hopeless. 

"  I  had  broken  out  of  my  prison  that  da}^  a  prison 
far  away  in  the  country.  I  was  hunted,  and  hopeless, 
and  wretched  ;  the  hand  of  every  man  was  against 
me.  I  had  taken  money  that  did  not  belong  to  me, 
and  I  had  received  a  savage  sentence  of  ten  years' 
imprisonment  I  had  served  but  one,  when  the  life 
and  the  manhood  in  me  cried  aloud  for  liberty  ;  and 
on  that  night  when  you  met  Pennington  in  the 
garden  I  was  free." 

"  Why  were  you  in  that  place  at  all  ?  "  she 
whispered. 

"  That  place  was  as  good  as  any  other,  if  it  could 
provide  me  with  that  I  wanted,  food  and  clothing," 
I  answered  her.  "  I  saw  young  Pennington  go  into 
the  house  ;  a  little  later  I  followed  him.  Only,  as 
you  will  understand,  I  could  not  enter  by  the  door  ;  I 
broke  into  the  place  like  the  thief  I  was." 

"  I  understand  that  that  was  necessary."  she 
said,  nodding  slowly.  "  I  do  not  judge  you  for 
that." 

"  When  I  got  into  the  house,"  I  went  on  hurriedly, 
"  I  found  that  a  tragedy  had  taken  place.  I  implore 
you  to  believe  that  I  am  telling  the  truth  and  nothing 
but  the  truth  ;  I  could  not  lie  to  you.  Your  friend 
Gregory  Pennington  had  met  witli  an  accident." 

She  read  what  was  in  my  face  ;  she  drew  a  deep 
breath,  and  caught  at  the  back  of  the  chair  by  which 
she  stood.  "  You  mean  that  he  was  dead  ?  "  she 
whispered. 

I  nodded.     "  For  what  reason  I  know  not,  although 


152  t)feAt)  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  can  guess  ;  but  Gregory  Pennington  had  hanged 
liimself." 

She  closed  her  eyes  for  a  moment,  and  I  thought  as 
she  swayed  a  httie  that  she  was  going  to  faint.  I 
had  taken  a  step  towards  her  when  she  opened  her 
eyes  suddenly,  and  I  saw  a  great  anger  and  indig- 
nation blazing  in  them.  "  It's  a  Ue  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
"  he  was  the  last  person  to  do  such  a  thing.  He  was 
the  brightest,  and  best,  and  sweetest  lad  that  ever 
loved  a  girl,  and  loved  her  hopelessly." 

"  There  you  have  it,"  I  suggested.  "  Had  you  not 
told  him  that  night  that  you  could  not  love  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  that  would  not  have  sent  him  to  his 
death,"  she  retorted.  "  But  go  on  ;  I  want  to 
know  what  was  done,  and  why  I  never  heard  about 
this  until  now." 

"  I  want  you  to  understand,  if  you  can,  two 
things,"  I  went  on  steadily.  "  First,  there  was  a 
dead  man  and  a  living  one  ;  and  the  living  one  was 
a  hunted  fugitive.  Second,  there  was,  in  a  slight 
degree,  a  faint  resemblance  between  the  dead  man 
and  the  living,  in  colouring,  and  height,  and  general 
appearance." 

She  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  or  two  in  silence  ; 
then  she  nodded  her  head.  "  Yes,  I  see  that  now," 
she  answered,  "  although  I  never  noticed  it  before." 

"  Wliile  I  was  in  the  room  with  the  dead  man, 
Dr.  Just  put  in  an  appearance.  To  be  brief,  he 
wanted  to  keep  the  matter  from  you,  because  he 
knew  the  boy  had  been  your  friend  ;  he  took  pity 
on  me,  and  wanted  to  save  me.  He  knew  that 
they  were  hunting  for  a  convict,  who  might  {per- 
haps be  thought  to  be  something  like  the  dead  man  ; 
at  his  suggestion  I  changed  clothes  with  Gregory 
Pennington,  and  started  under  another  name." 

I  turned  away  from  her  then  ;  I  dared  not  look  at 
her.  For  a  time  there  was  a  dead  silence  in  the  room, 
broken  only  by  the  curious  slow  ticking  of  an  old 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  153 

eight-day  clock  in  the  corner.  I  remember  that  I 
found  myself  mechanically  counting  the  strokes 
while  I  waited  for  her  to  speak. 

When  at  last  I  could  bear  the  tension  no  longer  I 
looked  round  at  her.  She  stood  there,  frozen,  as  it 
were,  in  the  attitude  in  which  I  had  seen  her,  looking 
at  me  with  a  face  of  horror.  Then  at  last,  in  a  sort 
of  broken  whisper,  she  got  out  a  sentence  or  two. 

"  You — you  changed  clothes  ?  Then  he  — he 
became  the  convict — dead  ?  What — what  became 
of  him  ?  " 

"  He  lies  buried — in  my  name — within  the  walls 
of  Penthouse  Prison." 

She  stared  at  me  for  a  moment  as  though  not 
understanding  ;  seemed  to  murmur  the  words  under 
her  breath.  Then  she  clapped  her  hands  suddenly 
over  her  face. 

"  Oh — dear  God  !  "  she  cried  out. 

I  began  to  murmur  excuses  and  pleadings.  "  The 
fault  was  not  mine,  the  boy  was  dead,  and  no  further 
harm  could  come  to  him.  I  wanted  to  live — I  was 
so  young  myself,  and  I  wanted  to  begin  life  again.  I 
never  thought " 

She  dropped  her  hands,  and  faced  me  boldly  ;  I  saw 
the  tears  swimming  in  her  eyes.  "  You  never 
thought  !  "  she  cried.  "  You  never  thought  of  what 
it  meant  for  him,  with  no  sin  upon  him,  to  lie  in  a 
felon's  grave  !  You  never  thought  that  there  was 
anyone  on  earth  might  miss  him,  and  sorrow  for  him, 
and  long  for  him  !  You  wanted  to  live — you,  that 
had  broken  prison — you,  a  common  thief  !  You 
coward  !  " 

I  said  no  more  ;  it  seemed  almost  as  if  the  solid 
earth  was  slipping  away  from  under  my  feet.  I 
cared  nothing  for  what  might  happen  to  me  ;  I  knew 
that  I  had  lost  her,  and  that  I  should  never  touch  her 
hand  again  in  friendship.  I  stood  there,  waiting,  as 
though  for  the  sentence  she  must  pronounce. 


154  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I  never  want  to  see  your  face  again,"  she  said  at 
last,  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  do  not  know  yet  what 
I  shall  do  ;  I  have  not  had  time  to  think.  But  I 
want  you  to  go  away,  to  leave  me  ;  I  have  done 
with  you." 

"  I  will  not  leave  you,"  I  said  doggedly.  "  You 
are  in  danger  !  " 

She  laughed  contemptuously.  "  Then  I  won't 
be  saved  by  you ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  There  are 
honest  men  in  the  world  ;  I  would  not  trust  you, 
nor  appeal  to  you,  if  I  had  no  other  friend,  on 
earth." 

"  I  know  the  danger  better  than  you  do,"  I 
answered,  "  and  I  will  not  leave  you." 

"  That  man  who  burst  into  the  house  just  now,  he 
seemed  to  know  you,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
pause.     "  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  A  fellow  jail-bird  of  mine,"  I  answered  bitterly. 

"  Then  go  to  him,"  she  said.  "  Are  you  so  dense 
that  you  don't  understand  what  I  think  of  you,  you 
thing  without  a  name  !    Will  nothing  move  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  until  L  know  that  you  are  safe,"  I 
answered. 

There  was  a  light  cane  lying  on  the  table  with 
Harvey  ScofTold's  hat  and  gloves.  In  a  very  fury  of 
passion  she  suddenly  dropped  her  hand  upon  it,  and 
caught  it  up.  I  know  that  my  face  turned  darkly 
red  as  I  saw  what  her  intention  was  ;  but  I  did  not 
flinch.  She  struck  me  full  across  the  face  with  it, 
crying  as  she  did  so,  "  Now  go  !  "  dropped  the  cane, 
and  burst  into  tears  at  the  same  moment.  I  could 
b(*ar  no  more  ;  I  turned  about,  and  walked  out  of 
the  room,  and  out  of  the  house.  I  did  not  seem 
to  remember  anything  until  I  found  myself  walking 
at  a  great  rate  under  the  stars,  down  towards 
IvOndon. 

My  feelings  then  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe. 
I  seemed  to  be  more  utterly  lost  than  ever  ;  the 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  155 

sorry  comedy  was  played  out,  and  I  walked  utterly 
friendless  and  alone,  caring  nothing  what  became  of 
me.  If  I  remembered  that  Debora  stood  in  peril  of 
her  life,  and  had  but  small  chance  of  escape  from 
some  horrible  death,  I  tried  to  thrust  that  thought 
away  from  me  ;  for  the  blow  she  had  struck  me 
seemed  to  have  cut  deep  into  m}^  soul.  Of  all  the 
homeless  wretches  under  the  stars  that  night,  surely 
I  was  the  one  most  to  be  pitied ! 

I  found  myself  after  a  time  on  Hampstead  Heath, 
and  lay  dowrt  there  in  a  quiet  spot  under  the  trees, 
and  stared  up  at  the  stars,  wondering  a  little,  perhaps, 
why  Fate  had  dealt  so  hardly  with  me,  and  had 
never  given  me  a  real  chance.  I  remembered  my 
unhappy  boyhood,  and  my  long  years  of  drudgery 
in  my  uncle's  house  ;  I  remembered  with  bitterness 
that  now  to-night  I  was  a  creature  with  no  name 
and  no  place  in  the  world,  with  no  hopes  and  no 
ambitions.  Tears  of  self-pity  sprung  to  my  eyes  as 
I  lay  there  in  the  darkness,  wondering  what  the 
day  was  to  bring  me. 

I  had  a  few  shillings  in  my  pocket,  and  when  I 
knew  the  dawn  was  coming  I  started  off  down  into 
London,  in  the  hope  to  lose  myself  and  my  miseries 
in  the  crowded  streets.  But  there  I  found  that 
apparently  everyone  had  some  business  to  be  engaged 
upon  ;  everyone  was  hurrying  hither  and  thither,  far 
too  busy  to  take  note  of  me  or  of  my  downcast  face. 
The  mere  instinct  to  live  kept  me  clear  of  the  traffic, 
or  I  must  have  been  run  over  a  hundred  times  in  the 
day,  so  little  did  I  trouble  where  I  walked,  or  what 
became  of  me.  When  my  body  craved  for  food  I 
went  into  an  eating-house,  and  sat  shoulder  to 
shoulder  with  other  men,  who  little  suspected  who 
I  was,  or  what  was  my  strange  story.  But  then 
everyone  against  whom  one  rubs  shoulders  in  a  great 
city  must  have  some  strange  story  of  their  own  to 
tell,  if  the}'  cared  to  say  what  it  was. 


156  DEAD  IRAN'S  LOVE. 

I  spent  the  long  day  in  the  streets  ;  but  at  night 
a  curious  fascination  drew  me  across  Hampstead 
Heath,  and  so  in  the  direction  of  the  cottage  in  which 
Harvey  Scoff  old  lived.  I  had  no  hope  of  seeing  the 
girl ;  I  only  felt  it  would  be  some  poor  satisfaction 
to  me  to  see  the  house  in  which  she  was ;  perhaps 
my  very  presence  there  might  serve  in  some  vague 
way  to  shield  her  from  harm  ;  for  by  this  time  I  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  Scoffold  was  as  much 
her  enemy  and  mine  as  anyone  else  by  whom  she 
was  surrounded. 

I  wandered  about  unhappily  there  for  more  than 
an  hour  ;  I  was  just  turning  away,  when  the  old 
woman  I  had  seen  on  the  previous  night  came  out  of 
the  door  of  the  cottage,  and  advanced  down  the 
garden  to  the  little  gate  in  the  fence.  I  think  a  cat 
must  have  got  astray  ;  for  she  called  to  some  animal 
fretfully  more  than  once.  She  was  just  turning  away 
again,  when  I  ventured  to  step  up  to  the  gate. 

*'  I  hope  the  young  lady  is  quite  well  ?  "  I  said,  in  a 
low  tone. 

She  looked  at  me  curiously  ;  looked  especially,  I 
thought,  at  the  long  livid  weal  across  my  face.  "  Ah  ! 
I  remember  you  now,  sir,"  she  said  ;  "  I  didn't 
recognise  you  for  a  moment.  But,  bless  you,  sir, 
they've  all  gone  away." 

"  Gone  away  ?  "  I  echoed. 

"  Yes,  sir.  Mr.  Scoffold  and  the  young  lady  went 
off  early  this  morning,  sir  ;  Mr.  Scoffold  said  that 
letters  were  to  be  addressed  to  him  at  the  house  of 
Dr.  Bardolph  Just.  I've  got  the  address  inside,  sir,  if 
you  should  want  it." 

I  told  her  I  did  not  want  it,  and  I  turned  away 
abruptly.  I  could  not  understand  the  position  at 
all ;  I  wondered  how  Harvey  Scoffold  had  persuaded 
her  to  go  back  to  that  house,  and  to  the  man  she  so 
much  dreaded.  I  saw  how  badly  I  had  blundered  in 
the  matter,  and  bow  I  bad  done  the  very  thing  I  had 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  157 

striven  not  to  do.  She  would  trust  Harvey  Scoffold  ; 
she  would  believe  in  his  honesty,  as  I  had  believed  in 
it ;  and  I  was  convinced  now  that  he  was  working 
hand  in  glove  with  Bardolph  Just.  I  stood  out  there 
in  the  darkness,  cursing  myself,  and  the  world,  and 
everyone,  with  the  solitary  exception  of  Debora 
Match  wick. 

On  one  point  I  was  resolute  ;  I  would  go  on  to  the 
house  of  the  doctor,  and  would  be  near  at  hand  in 
case  the  girl  wanted  me.  It  was  a  mad  idea,  and  I 
now  recognise  it  as  such  ;  but  at  the  time  it  seemed 
that  I  might  be  able  to  do  some  good.  I  set  off  at 
once,  tired  out  as  I  was,  for  Bardolph  Just's  house. 

It  was  not  yet  late,  and  the  house  was  still  lighted 
up  when  at  last  I  came  to  it.  I  opened  the  gate  in 
the  wall  noiselessly,  and  went  in  ;  crept  forward 
among  the  trees,  until  I  was  quite  near  to  the  house. 
I  think  I  had  a  sort  of  vague  idea  that  I  would  get 
in  somehow,  and  confront  the  doctor  ;  for,  after  all, 
nothing  much  worse  could  happen  to  me  than  had 
already  befallen  me.  While  I  waited  irresolutely  in 
the  grounds,  a  door  opened  at  one  side  of  the  house, 
letting  out  a  little  flood  of  light  for  a  moment  ;  then 
the  door  was  closed  again,  and  I  saw  a  figure  coming 
swiftly  towards  me  through  the  trees.  I  drew  back 
behind  one  of  the  trees,  and  watched  ;  presently  the 
figure  passed  so  close  to  me,  going  steadily  in  the 
direction  of  the  gate,  that  I  could  see  the  face  clearly. 
It  was  Martha  Leach,  habited  for  a  journey. 

There  was  such  a  grim,  set  purpose  in  the  face  that, 
after  she  had  gone  a  yard  or  two,  I  turned  on  an 
instinct  and  followed  her.  I  heard  the  latch  of 
the  gate  click,  as  she  went  out,  closing  the  gate  after 
her  ;  unfortunately  it  clicked  again  a  moment  or  two 
later,  when  I  in  turn  passed  out  in  her  wake.  I 
flattened  myself  against  the  wall,  because  Martha 
Leach  had  stopped  in  the  road,  and  had  looked  back, 
pprtunately   for   me   she   djd  not   return  ;  after   ^ 


158  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

momentary  pause  she  went  on  again  rapidly,  taking 
a  northern  direction. 

Now,  by  all  the  laws  of  the  game  I  ought  to  have 
returned  to  the  house  to  keep  my  vigil  there  ;  for 
what  earthly  purpose  could  I  hope  to  serve  in  chasing 
this  woman  about  the  northern  suburbs  of  Lxjndon, 
at  sonietliing  near  to  nine  o'clock  on  a  summer's 
evening  ?  But  I  felt  impelled  to  go  on  after  her  ;  and 
my  heart  sank  a  little  when  presently  I  saw  her  hail 
a  four-wheeled  cab,  and  range  herself  up  beside  the 
front  wheel,  to  drive  a  bargain  with  the  cabman. 
Without  her  knowledge  I  had  come  to  the  back  of  the 
cab,  and  could  hear  distinctly  what  she  said, 

I  felt  at  first  that  I  was  dreaming  when  I  heard 
her  asking  the  man  if  he  could  drive  her  to  an  address 
near  Barnet  ;  and  that  address  was  the  house  of  my 
Uncle  Zabdiel !  After  some  demur  the  man  agreed  ; 
and  the  woman  got  inside,  and  the  cab  started.  And 
now  I  was  determined  that  I  would  follow  this  thing 
out  to  the  bitter  end  ;  for  I  began  to  understand 
vaguely  what  her  mission  was  to  my  uncle. 

As  I  ran  behind  the  cab,  now  and  then  resting 
myself  by  perching  perilously  on  the  springs,  I  had 
time  to  think  of  the  events  that  had  followed  the 
coming  of  George  Rabbit  to  the  doctor's  house,  and 
his  discovery  of  me.  1  remembered  that  light  I  had 
seen  in  the  loft  ;  I  remembered  how  Martha  Leach 
had  come  from  that  loft,  carrying  a  lantern  ;  I 
remembered  how  she  had  threatened  to  find  out  who 
I  was,  and  from  whence  I  came.  And  I  knew  now 
with  certainty  that  she  was  on  her  way  to  my  uncle, 
with  the  purpose  of  letting  him  know  the  exact  state 
of  affairs. 

I  own  that  I  was  puzzled  to  know  why  she  should 
be  concerning  herself  in  the  matter  at  all.  That  she 
hated  Debora  I  knew,  and  I  could  only  judge  that  she 
felt  I  might  be  dangerous,  and  had  best  be  got  rid  of 
in  some  fashion  or  other.     The  newspaper  reports  of 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  159 

my  trial  and  sentence  had  made  my  life,  of  necessity, 
common  property  ;  she  would  be  able  easily  to 
discover  the  address  of  Uncle  Zabdiel.  That  she 
was  working,  as  she  believed,  in  the  interests  of  the 
doctor  I  could  well  understand  ;  but  whether  by  his 
inspiration  or  not  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  know. 

The  cab  stopped  at  last  outside  that  grim  old  house 
I  remembered  so  well,  that  house  from  which  I  had 
been  taken  on  my  uncle's  accusation.  By  that  time, 
of  course,  I  was  some  yards  away  from  it,  watching 
from  the  shelter  of  a  doorway  ;  but  I  heard  the  bell 
peal  in  the  great,  hollow  old  place,  and  presently  saw 
the  gate  open,  and  Martha  Leach,  after  some  parley, 
pass  in.  Then  the  gate  was  closed  again,  and  I 
was  left  outside,  to  conjecture  for  myself  what  was 
happening  within. 

I  determined  at  last  that  I  would  get  into  the 
place  myself  ;  it  might  be  possible  for  me  to  fore- 
stall Martha  Leach,  and  take  some  of  the  wind  out 
of  her  sails.  Moreover,  the  prospect  of  appearing 
before  my  uncle  in  a  ghostly  character  rather  appealed 
to  me  than  not  ;  he  had  given  me  one  or  two  bad 
shocks  in  my  life,  and  I  might  return  the  compliment. 
For,  of  course,  I  was  well  aware  that  he  must  long 
since  have  believed  that  I  was  dead  and  buried,  as 
had  been  reported.  I  went  near  to  the  house,  and 
tried  the  gate  ;  found,  somewhat  to  my  relief,  that 
it  was  not  fastened.  I  slipped  in,  and  closed  the  gate 
after  me,  and  found  myself  standing  in  the  narrow 
garden  that  surrounded  the  house. 

Strange  memories  came  flocking  back  to  me  as  I 
stood  there  looking  up  at  the  dark  house.  How 
much  had  I  not  suffered  in  this  place,  in  what  terror 
of  the  darkness  I  had  lain,  night  after  night,  as  a  boy, 
dreading  to  hear  the  footsteps  of  Uncle  Zabdiel,  and 
yet  feeling  some  relief  at  hearing  them  in  that  grim 
and  silent  place  !  I  thought  then,  as  I  stood  there, 
how  absolutely  alone  I  was  in  the  great  world — how 


i6o  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

shut  out  from  everything  my  strength  and  manhood 
seemed  to  have  a  right  to  demand.  And  with  that 
thought  came  a  recklessness  upon  me,  greater  even 
than  I  had  felt  before,  almost,  indeed,  a  feeling  of 
devilry. 

I  had  been  questioning  myself  as  to  my  motive  in 
coming  there  at  all ;  now  I  seemed  to  see  it  clearly. 
The  woman  now  in  the  house  was  doubtless  giving 
my  uncle  chapter  and  verse  concerning  my  strange 
coming  to  life  ;  left  in  her  hands,  I  was  as  good  as 
done  for  already.  I  felt  sure  that  the  first  thought 
in  Uncle  Zabdiel's  mind,  if  he  reaUsed  the  truth  of 
what  she  said,  would  be  one  of  deadly  fear  for  his 
own  safety  ;  for  he  believed  me  reckless  and  steej)ed 
in  wickedness,  and  he  knew  that  I  had  no  reason 
to  love  him.  He  would  seek  protection  ;  and  in 
seeking  it  would  give  me  up  to  those  who  had  the 
right  to  hold  me. 

Nor  was  this  all.  In  giving  me  up  he  must 
perforce  open  a  certain  grave  wherein  lay  poor 
Gregory  Pennington,  and  show  what  that  grave 
contained.  He  must  drag  that  miserable  story 
into  the  light,  and  must  drag  Debora  into  the  light 
with  it.  I  could  see  Uncle  Zabdiel,  in  imagination, 
rubbing  his  hands,  and  telling  the  whole  thing 
glibly,  and  making  much  of  it ;  and  I  determined 
that  Uncle  Zabdiel's  mouth  must  be  closed. 

H  in  no  other  fashion,  then  I  felt  that  I  must 
silence  him  by  threats.  I  was  an  outlaw,  fighting 
a  lone  hand  in  a  losing  cause  ;  he  would  know  at 
least  that  I  was  scarcely  likely  to  be  over-scrupulous 
in  my  dealing  with  him  or  anyone  else.  But  the 
first  thing  to  do  was  to  get  into  the  house. 

Now,  I  knew  the  place  well,  of  course,  and,  more- 
over, it  will  be  remembered  that  in  those  night 
excursions  of  mine  which  had  led  to  so  much  disaster 
I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  coming  and  going  without 
his  knowledge.     It  seems  to  me  that  I  was  born  to 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  i6i 

make  use  more  of  windows  than  of  doors  ;  but  then, 
as  you  will  have  gathered  by  this  time,  I  was  never 
one  for  ceremony.  On  this  occasion  I  recalled  old 
times,  and  made  my  way  to  a  certain  window,  out 
of  which  and  into  which  I  had  crept  many  a  night 
and  many  a  morning.  It  was  a  window  at  the  end 
of  a  passage  which  led  to  my  own  old  room,  in 
which  for  so  many  years  I  had  slept.  I  got  in  in 
safety,  and  crept  along  the  passage ;  and  then,  out 
of  sheer  curiosity,  opened  the  door  of  that  old 
room,  and  went  in. 

And  then,  in  a  moment,  I  was  grappUng  in  the 
semi -darkness  with  what  seemed  to  be  a  tall  man, 
who  was  buffeting  me  in  the  wildest  fashion  with 
his  fists,  and  shrieking  the  very  house  down  with  a 
high,  raucous  voice.  Indeed,  he  let  off  a  succession 
of  yells,  in  which  the  only  words  I  could  discover 
were,  "  Murder  !  "  "  Fire  !  "  "  Thieves  !  "  and  other 
like  things.  And  all  the  while  I  fought  for  his 
mouth  with  my  hands  in  the  darkness,  and  threat- 
ened all  manner  of  horrible  things  if  he  would  not 
be  silent. 

At  last  I  overmastered  him,  and  got  him  on  his 
back  on  the  floor,  and  knelt  upon  him  there,  and 
glared  down  into  his  eyes,  which  I  could  see  dimly 
by  the  light  which  came  through  the  uncurtained 
window. 

"  Now,  then,"  I  panted,  "  if  you  want  to  live, 
be  quiet.  I  can  hear  someone  coming.  If  you  say 
a  word  about  me,  I'll  blow  your  brains  out.  I'm 
armed,  and  I'm  desperate." 

He  assured  me  earnestly,  as  well  as  he  could  by 
reason  of  my  weight  upon  him,  that  he  would  say 
not  a  word  about  me  ;  and  as  I  heard  the  steps 
coming  nearer,  I  made  a  dart  for  the  head  of  the 
old-fashioned  bedstead,  and  slipped  behind  the 
curtains  there.  The  next  moment  the  room  was 
filled  with  light,  and  I  heard  Uncle  Zabdiel's  voice. 

L 


162  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  What's  the  matter  ? 
What  the  devil  are  you  making  all  that  bother 
about  ?     I  thought  someone  was  murdering  vou."  * 

Peering  through  a  rent  in  the  curtain,  I  could 
see  that  the  man  I  had  grappled  with,  and  who 
now  faced  my  uncle  tremblingly,  was  a  tall,  ungainly 
youth,  so  thin  and  weedy-looking  that  I  wondered 
he  had  resisted  me  so  long.  He  was  clad  only  in  a 
long  white  nightshirt,  which  hung  upon  him  as 
though  he  had  been  mere  skin  and  bone  ;  he  had 
a  weak,  foolish  face,  and  rather  long,  fair  hair.  He 
stood  trembling,  and  saying  nothing,  and  he  was 
shaking  from  head  to  foot. 

"  Can't  you  speak  ?  "  snapped  Uncle  Zabdiel  (and 
how  well  I  remembered  those  tones  !). 

"  I  had — had  the  nightmare,"  stammered  the 
youth.     "  Woke  myself  up  with  it,  sir." 

"  I  never  knew  you  have  that  before,"  was  my 
uncle's  comment.  "  Get  to  bed,  and  let's  hear  no 
more  of  you.     What  did  you  have  for  supper .?  " 

"  Didn't  have  any  supper,"  replied  the  youth. 
"  You  know  I  never  do." 

"  Then  it  couldn't  have  been  that,"  retorted 
Uncle  Zabdiel.  "  Come,  let's  see  you  get  into 
bed." 

Now,  the  unfortunate  fellow  knew  that  a  desperate 
ruffian  was  concealed  behind  the  curtains  of  the 
bedstead ;  yet  his  dread  of  that  ruffian  was  so 
great  that  he  dared  not  cry  out  the  truth.  More 
than  that,  I  saw  that  he  dared  not  disobey  my 
uncle  ;  and  between  the  two  of  us  he  was  in  a  nice 
quandary.  At  last,  however,  with  a  sort  of  groan 
he  made  a  leap  at  the  bed,  and  dived  in  under  the 
bedclothes  and  pulled  them  over  his  head.  With- 
out a  word.  Uncle  Zabdiel  walked  out  of  the  room, 
and  closed  the  door,  leaving  us  both  in  the  dark. 
And  for  quite  a  long  minute  there  was  no  sound  in 
the  room.    4 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  163 

I  began  to  feel  sorry  for  the  youth  in  the  bed, 
because  I  knew  what  he  must  be  suffering.  I 
moved  to  come  out  into  the  room,  and  he  gave  a 
sort  of  muffled  shriek  and  dived  deeper  under  the 
clothes.  I  stood  beside  him,  and  I  began  to  talk 
to  him  as  gently  as  I  could. 

"  Now,  look  here,"  I  whispered.  "  I'm  not  going 
to  hurt  you  if  you  keep  quiet.  Come  out  from 
under  those  clothes,  and  let  me  have  a  look  at  you, 
and  tell  me  who  you  are." 

Very  slowly  he  came  out  from  his  refuge,  and  sat 
up  in  bed,  and  looked  at  me  fearfully  ;  and  very 
ghostly  he  looked,  with  his  fair  hair,  and  his 
white  face,  and  his  white  garment,  against  the  dark 
hangings  of  the  bed. 

"I'm  old  Zabdiel  Blowfield's  clerk,"  he  said 
slowly. 

"  Well,  you're  not  a  very  respectful  clerk,  at  all 
events,"  I  retorted  with  a  laugh,  as  I  seated  myself 
on  the  side  of  the  bed.  "  And  you  don't  look  a 
very  happy  one." 

"  This  ain't  exactly  a  house  to  be  happy  in,"  he 
said.  "  It's  grind — grind — grind — from  morning 
tiU  night,  and  nothing  much  to  eat — and  that  not 
very  good.  And  I'm  growing  so  fast  that  I  seem 
to  need  a  lot  more  than  what  he  does." 

"  I  know,"  I  responded  solemnly.  "  I've  been 
through  it  all  myself.  I  was  once  old  Zabdiel 
Blowfield's  clerk,  and  I  also  had  the  misfortune  to 
be  his  nephew." 

"  Oh,  Lord  !  "  The  boy  stared  at  me  as  though 
his  eyes  would  drop  out  of  his  head.  "  Are  you 
the  chap  that  stole  the  money,  and  got  chokey 
for  it  ?  " 

I  nodded.  "  I'm  that  desperate  villain,"  I  said, 
"  and  I've  broken  out  of  '  chokey,'  as  you  call  it, 
and  have  come  back  to  revisit  the  glimpses  of  the 
rriOQn.     Therefore   you   see   how   necessary   it   wa§ 


i64  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

that  Uncle  Zabdiel  should  not  see  me.  Do  you 
tumble  to  that  ?  " 

He  looked  me  up  and  down  wonderingly,  much 
as  though  I  had  been  about  eight  feet  high.  "  Old 
Blowfield  told  me  about  you  when  I  first  came," 
he  said.  "  He  said  it  would  be  a  warning  to  me 
not  to  do  likewise.  But  he  put  in  a  bit  too  much  ; 
he  said  that  you  were  dead." 

"  He  wanted  to  make  the  warning  more  awful," 
I  suggested,  for  I  did  not  feel  called  upon  to  give 
him  an  explanation  concerning  that  most  mysteri- 
ous matter.  "  And  don't  think,"  I  added,  "  that  I 
am  in  any  sense  of  the  word  a  hero,  or  that  I  am 
anything  wonderful.  At  the  present  time  I've 
scarcely  a  coin  in  my  pocket,  and  I  don't  know 
where  I'm  to  sleep  to-night.  It's  no  fun  doing 
deeds  of  darkness,  and  breaking  prison,  and  all 
that  sort  of  tiling,  I  can  assure  you." 

The  youth  shook  his  head  dismally.  "  I  ain't  so 
sure  of  that,"  he  said.  "  At  any  rate,  I  should 
think  it  would  be  better  than  the  sort  of  life  I 
lead.  There's  something  dashing  about  you — but 
look  at  me  !  " 

He  spread  out  his  thin  arms  as  he  spoke,  and 
looked  at  me  with  his  pathetic  head  on  one  side.  I 
began  to  hate  my  uncle  with  fresh  vigour,  and  to 
wonder  when  some  long-sleeping  justice  would  over- 
take him.  For  I  saw  that  this  boy  was  not  made  of 
the  stuff  that  I  had  been  made  of ;  this  was  a  mere 
drudge,  who  would  go  on  being  a  drudge  to  the  end 
of  his  days. 

"  Wliat's  your  name  ?  "  I  asked  abruptly. 

"  Andrew  Ferkoe,"  he  replied. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Andrew  Ferkoe,  and  how  did  you 
come  to  drop  into  this  place  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  My  father  owed  old  Blowfield  a  lot  of  money  ; 
and  my  father  died,"  he  said  slowly. 

"  And  you  were  taken  in  exchange  for  the  debt," 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  165 

I  said.  "  I  think  I  understand.  Well,  don't  be 
downhearted  about  it.  By  the  way,  are  you 
hungry  ?  '' 

"  I'm  never  anything  else,"  he  replied,  with  a  grin. 

"  Then  we'll  have  a  feast,  for  I'm  hungry,  too." 

I  started  for  the  door,  with  the  full  determination 
to  raid  the  larder  ;  but  he  called  after  me  in  a 
frightened  voice — 

"  Come  back,  come  back ! "  I  turned  about, 
and  looked  at  him.  "  He'll  kill  me  if  I  take 
anything  that  doesn't  belong  to  me,  or  have  me 
locked  up." 

"  Oh,  he'll  put  it  down  to  me,"  I  assured  the  boy. 
"  I'm  going  to  interview  him  in  the  morning,  and 
I'll  see  that  you  don't  get  into  trouble." 

I  left  him  sitting  up  in  bed,  and  I  went  out  into 
the  house,  knowing  my  way  perfectly,  in  search  of 
food.  I  knew  that  in  that  meagre  household  I 
might  find  nothing  at  all,  or  at  all  events  nothing 
worth  having  ;  but  still,  I  meant  to  get  something, 
if  possible.  I  got  down  into  the  basement,  and 
found  the  larder,  and,  to  my  surprise,  found  it  better 
stocked  than  I  could  have  hoped.  I  loaded  my 
arms  with  good  things,  and  started  to  make  my 
way  back  to  my  old  room. 

And  then  it  was  that  I  saw  Martha  Leach  and 
my  uncle.  The  door  of  the  room  in  which  my 
uncle  used  always  to  work  was  opened,  and  the 
woman  came  out  first.  I  was  below,  in  an  angle 
of  the  stairs  leading  to  the  basement,  and  I  won- 
dered what  would  have  happened  if  they  had  known 
that  I  was  there.  Uncle  Zabdiel,  looking  not  a 
day  older  than  when  he  had  spoken  to  me  in  the 
court  after  my  sentence,  followed  the  woman  out, 
bearing  a  candle  in  his  hand.  He  had  on  an  ancient 
dressing-gown,  and  the  black  skull  cap  in  which  I 
think  he  must  always  haye  slept — certainly  I  never 
saw  him  without  it. 


i66  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I'm  much  obliged  to  you,  my  good  woman,"  he 
said  in  a  low  voice — "  much  obliged  to  you,  indeed, 
for  your  warning.  It's  upset  me,  I  can  assure  you, 
to  hear  that  the  fellow's  alive  ;  but  he  shall  be 
hunted  down,  and  given  back  to  the  law." 

I  set  my  teeth  as  I  listened,  and  I  felt  that  I  might 
be  able  to  persuade  Uncle  Zabdiel  to  a  different 
purpose. 

"  The  difficulty  will  be  to  get  hold  of  him,"  said 
Martha  Leach.  "  I  only  heard  the  real  story,  as  I 
have  told  you,  from  the  lips  of  his  fellow-prisoner — 
the  man  they  call  George  Rabbit." 

"  Then  the  best  thing  you  can  do,"  said  Uncle 
Zabdiel,  touching  her  for  a  moment  on  the  arm, 
"  the  wisest  thing  you  can  do,  is  to  get  hold  of 
George  Rabbit  and  send  him  to  me.  Tell  him  I'll 
pay  him  well ;  it'll  be  a  question  of  '  set  a  thief  to 
catch  a  thief.'  He'll  track  the  dog  down.  Tell 
him  I'll  pay  him  liberally — I'm  known  as  a  liberal 
man  in  my  dealings." 

While  he  went  to  the  door  to  show  the  woman 
out,  I  crept  round  the  corner  of  the  stairs,  and  up 
to  the  room  where  I  had  left  the  boy.  I  found  him 
awaiting  me  eagerly  ;  it  was  pleasant  to  see  the 
fashion  in  which  his  gaunt  face  lighted  up  when  I 
set  out  the  food  upon  the  bed.  He  was  so  greedy 
with  famine  that  he  began  to  cram  the  food  into 
his  mouth — almost  whimpering  over  the  good 
things — before  I  had  had  time  to  begin. 

We  feasted  well,  sitting  there  in  the  dark  ;  we  were 
very  still  as  we  heard  Zabdiel  Blowfield  pause  at  the 
door  on  his  way  upstairs,  and  listen  to  be  sure  that 
all  was  silent.  Fortunately  for  us,  he  did  not  come 
in  ;  we  heard  his  shuffling  feet  take  their  way 
towards  his  own  room. 

"  Safe  for  the  night !  "  I  whispered.  "  And  now 
I  suppose  you  feel  better — eh  ?  '* 

He   nodded  gratefully.     "  I   wish   I'd  got   your 


MISERY'S  BEDFELLOW.  167 

courage,"  he  answered  wistfully.  "  But  when  he 
looks  at  me  I  begin  to  tremble,  and  when  he  speaks 
I  shake  all  over.'' 

"  Go  to  sleep  now,"  I  commanded  him,  "  and 
comfort  yourself  with  the  reflection  that  in  the 
morning  he  is  going  to  do  the  shaking  and  the 
trembling  for  once.  Bless  your  heart  !  "  I  added, 
"  I  was  once  like  you,  and  dared  not  call  my 
soul  my  own.  I'll  have  no  mercy  on  him,  I 
promise  you." 

He  smiled  and  lay  'down,  and  was  asleep  in  no 
time  at  all.  I  had  removed  the  dishes  from  the 
bed,  meaning  to  take  them  downstairs  so  soon  as  I 
could  be  sure  that  Uncle  Zabdiel  was  asleep.  I 
sat  down  on  a  chair  by  the  open  window,  and  looked 
out  into  the  night,  striving  perhaps  to  see  some 
way  for  myself — some  future  in  which  I  might  live 
in  some  new  and  wholly  impossible  world. 

Most  bitterly  then  did  I  think  of  the  girl  who 
was  lost  to  me  for  ever.  My  situation  had  not 
seemed  to  be  so  desperate  while  I  carried  the  know- 
ledge in  my  heart  that  she  believed  in  me  and 
trusted  me  ;  but  now  all  that  was  past  and  done 
with.  In  the  morning  I  must  begin  that  fight  with 
my  ancient  enemy  as  to  whether  I  should  live,  or 
whether  I  should  be  condemned  to  that  living  death 
from  which  I  had  escaped  ;  and  I  knew  enough 
now,  in  this  calmer  moment,  to  recognise  the  cun- 
ning of  the  man  with  whom  I  must  fight,  and  that 
the  power  he  held  was  greater  than  mine. 

Sitting  there,  I  must  at  last  have  fallen  asleep, 
with  my  head  upon  the  window  sill ;  it  was  hours 
later  when  I  awoke.  The  dawn  was  growing  in  the 
sky,  and  the  boy  still  slept  heavily.  I  gathered  up 
the  dishes  silently,  and  crept  out  of  the  room,  and 
put  them  back  in  some  disorder  into  the  larder  ;  for 
to  the  consumption  of  that  meal  I  meant  to  confess 
solely  on   my   own   account.       Then    I    began   to 


i6S  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

mount  the  stairs  again,  to  get  back  to  the  room 
I   had  left. 

I  heard  a  noise  above  me  in  the  liouse,  and  I 
knew  instinctively  tliat  my  uncle  had  been  roused, 
and  was  coming  down.  There  was  no  chance  for 
me  to  hide,  and  above  all  things  I  knew  that  he 
would  search  the  place  from  top  to  bottom  until  he 
fQund  the  intruder.  More  than  that,  the  inevitable 
meeting  must  take  place  at  some  time,  and  this 
time  was  as  good  as,  if  not  better  than,  any  other. 
So  I  mounted  the  stairs,  until  at  last  I  saw  him  on 
a  landing  above  me,  standing  in  the  grey  light  of 
the  morning,  with  a  heavy  stick  poised  in  his  hands, 
ready  to  strike. 

"  it's  all  right,  uncle,"  I  said  cheerfully,  "  I  was 
coming  to  meet  you." 

He  lowered  the  stick  slowly,  and  looked  at  me 
for  a  moment  or  two  in  silence  ;  then  I  heard  him 
chuckle  ironically. 

"  Good-morning,  nephew,"  he  said  ;  "  welcome 
home  again  !  " 


CHAPTER    IX. 

A       SHOOTING       PARTY. 

Now,  my  Uncle  Zabdiel  had  known  me  always  as 
something  subservient  to  his  will,  and  apparently 
anxious  to  please  him  ;  he  was  to  meet  me  now  in 
a  different  mood.  As  we  stood  facing  each  other, 
in  the  grey  light  of  the  morning  which  filtered 
through  a  high  window  on  to  the  staircase  where 
we  had  met,  I  was  able  to  realise  that  he  would 
once  more  play  the  bully  with  me,  if  he  felt  it  pos- 
sible to  do  so,  and  that  it  behoved  me  to  get  the 
upper  hand  at  once  if  I  would  bring  myself  with 
any  credit  out  of  the  tangle.  So  I  spoke  sharply 
after  that  first  ironical  greeting  of  his  ;  I  wanted 
the  man  to  understand  that  he  had  not  to  deal 
with  the  milk-and-water  boy  he  had  known  some- 
thing over  a  year  before. 

"  I  want  a  word  with  you,"  I  said,  "  and  I'll  say 
it  where  it  suits  you  best  to  hear  it." 

"  By  all  means,  my  dear  nephew,"  he  said  suavely. 
"If  you  will  allow  me  to  pass  you,  I  will  show  you 
where  we  can  talk  in  comfort." 

I  did  not  like  his  tone  in  the  least ;  I  began  to 
understand  that  he  had  had  the  night  in  which  to 
think  over  matters,  and  had  doubtless  made  good 
use  of  the  time.  However,  I  followed  him  into  that 
room  from  which  not  so  long  before  I  had  seen 

169 


170  £)EAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

Martha  Leach  emerge  ;  and  there  I  faced  him,  with 
the  door  shut  behind  me. 

"  You're  only  partly  surprised  to  see  me,"  I  began 
at  once.  "  You  heard  last  night  that  I  was  alive, 
and  almost  in  your  neighbourhood.  A  woman 
told  you.'* 

That  seemed  to  stagger  him  a  little  ;  he  looked  at 
me  keenly  and  with  a  new  interest.  "  How  do  you 
know  that  ?  "  he  demanded. 

I  laughed.  "  I  know  the  woman  who  told  you  ; 
she  is  no  friend  of  mine,  as  you  may  imagine,"  I 
answered  iiim.  "  It  must  have  been  rather  a  shock 
to  you  to  know  that  the  nephew  of  whom  you  had 
got  rid  so  easily,  and  who  had  even  apparently 
had  the  good  sense  to  put  an  end  to  his  miserable 
existence,  was  very  much  alive,  and  likely  to  trouble 
you  again.  Therefore  I  thought  I'd  follow  up  the 
tale  by  putting  in  an  appearance  at  once,  the  better 
to  relieve  your  pardonable  anxiety." 

He  grinned  at  me  in  a  fashion  that  would  have 
been  disconcerting  to  anyone  else  ;  but  I  was  no 
longer  afraid  of  him.  "  And  what  are  your  demands 
now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I'm  glad  you  use  the  right  word,"  I  retorted. 
"  I  do  demand  one  or  two  things,  and  I'm  sure 
that  you'll  see  that  it  is  best  to  comply  with  them. 
In  the  lirst  place,  I  demand  your  silence  as  to 
myself." 

"  And  if  I  refuse  ?  "  He  had  seated  himself  by 
this  time  in  his  usual  chair,  and  he  sat  looking  at 
me,  with  the  heavy  stick  he  carried  laid  across  his 
knees.     "  What  then  ?  " 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  what  to  say,  and  I  said 
it  at  once,  though  with  no  real  intention  of  ever 
putting  my  threat  into  execution  ;  I  merely  wanted 
to  frighten  him. 

"  Then  I  shall  kiU  you,"  I  said  quieUy.  "  That 
is  no  idle  threat,  as  you  may  perhaps  understand. 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  171 

You're  a  cleverer  man  than  I  am,  because  I  was 
never  blessed  with  much  brains  ;  and  you  will  see 
for  yourself  that,  hunted  wretch  as  I  am,  it  does 
not  matter  very  much  what  becomes  of  me.  Never- 
theless, I  have  the  natural  desire  to  live,  and  I  only 
ask  to  be  let  alone.  The  Norton  Hyde  you  knew 
is  buried  in  the  prison  to  which  you  sent  him  ;  let 
him  rest  there.  A  certain  other  man,  who  bears  a 
resemblance  to  him,  finds  it  necessary  to  pay  you 
a  visit " 

"  To  break  into  my  house,  you  mean  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed violently.  "  Your  own  action  is  the  best 
answer  that  can  be  given  to  any  such  suggestion  as 
you  make  in  regard  to  secrecy.  What  safety  is 
there  for  me  while  you  are  at  large  in  the  world  ? 
I'm  an  old  and  feeble  man  ;  you  come  here  with 
threats  on  your  lips  to  begin  with." 

"  I  threaten  you  only  because  I  know  what  you 
intend  to  do,"  I  replied.  "  I  overheard  you  last 
night,  promising  the  woman  that  I  should  be  hunted 
down  ;  even  making  arrangements  with  her  as  to 
how  best  to  set  about  that  hunting  down.  Con- 
sequently I  have  to  protect  myself." 

He  looked  at  me  sourly  for  a  moment  or  two,  as 
though  making  up  his  mind  how  best  to  work  round 
me.  "  So  you've  been  in  the  house  all  night,  have 
you  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  shouldn't  have  slept  quite  so 
soundly  if  I'd  known  that,  I  can  assure  you.  My 
duty  is  clear  ;  respectable  citizens  must  be  protected 
against  escaped  jail-birds  and  vagrants  of  your  order." 

He  sprang  from  his  chair,  and  made  a  movement 
towards  a  great  bell  rope  that  hung  at  the  side  of 
the  fireplace.  But  I  was  too  quick  for  him ;  I 
caught  him  by  the  arm,  and  swung  him  away  from 
it,  so  that  he  lurched  and  staggered  towards  the 
other  side  of  the  room.  There,  panting,  and  with 
his  stick  half  raised  as  though  to  strike  me  down, 
he  stood  watching  me. 


172  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  Now,  I  don't  want  to  hurt  you,"  I  said  ;  "  but 
in  this  matter  I  am  desperate.  There  is  more  hangs 
to  it  than  you  can  understand.  You've  done  evil 
enough  ;  the  money  I  stole  from  you  has  been  paid 
for  in  one  long  year  of  bitter  bondage — paid  for 
doubly,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  I  have  no  name, 
and  no  place  in  the  world,  and  no  hope,  and  no 
future.  You've  taken  your  toll  out  of  me  ;  all  I 
ask  now  is  to  be  let  alone." 

"  I  won't  do  it !  "  he  almost  shrieked  at  me.  "  You 
shall  go  back  to  your  prison  ;  you  shall  rot  there  for 
just  so  many  years  as  they  will  add  to  your  original 
sentence.  You  shan't  live  among  honest  men  ;  you 
shall  go  back  to  your  prison." 

I  think  no  shame  even  now  of  what  I  did.  My 
rage  against  the  vindictive  old  man  was  so  great 
that  I  wonder  I  did  not  strike  the  feeble  life  out  of 
him  where  he  stood  mouthing  at  me.  I  strode  up 
to  him  and  wrenched  the  stick  out  of  his  hands, 
took  him  by  the  collar  of  his  dressing-gown  and 
shook  him  backwards  and  forwards,  until  at  last, 
half  in  terror  and  half  in  weakness,  he  dropped  upon 
his  knees  before  me. 

"  Don't — don't  kill  me,  Norton,"  he  whimpered. 

"  Then  you  must  swear  to  me  to  let  me  alone,"  I 
said.  "  Promise  that,  and  I'll  never  come  near  you 
again,  and  you  shall  never  hear  of  me  again.  It's 
an  easy  thing  to  do  ;  surely  you  must  see  for  your- 
self that  I  can't  rush  into  the  light  of  day ;  I  should 
never  have  come  near  you  to-night,  but  that  by  the 
merest  chance  I  found  out  that  the  woman  Martha 
Leach  was  coming  to  you,  and  so  guessed  what  her 
errand  was.     Come — swear  to  leave  me  alone  !  " 

"  I  swear — I  do  truly  swear  !  "  he  said ;  and  I 
took  my  hands  from  him  and  let  him  stagger  to 
his  feet. 

He  got  back  to  his  chair  again,  and  sat  there, 
breathing  hard,  with  his  lips  opening  and  shutting  • 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  173 

I  saw  that  he  had  had  a  bad  fright.  I  do  not  think, 
after  all,  that  even  in  my  rage  I  could  have  killed 
him,  badly  as  he  had  served  me  ;  but  I  was  relieved 
now  to  see  that  I  had  effected  my  purpose.  I  did 
not  think  he  would  be  likely  to  trouble  me  again 
with  any  threats  of  exposure  ;  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  he  appeared  to  have  a  very  wholesome 
dread  of  me.  Indeed,  now  he  began,  as  soon  as  he 
had  got  his  breath,  to  seek  in  some  measure  to 
propitiate  me. 

"  I  was  excited — annoyed,"  he  said.  "  Of  course, 
my  dear  boy,  I  should  never  have  done  anything 
against  you — not  really,  you  know.  But  it  was  a 
great  shock  to  me,  when  that  woman  came  and 
told  me  that  you  were  alive  and  in  the  neighbour- 
hood— that  was  a  horrible  shock.  Not  but  what, 
Norton,  I  was  glad,  in  a  way — glad  to  know  that 
you  were  alive  again." 

"  We'll  take  that  for  granted,"  I  said  with  a 
laugh.  "  We  have  no  reason  to  love  each  other, 
you  and  I,  Uncle  Zabdiel ;  and  all  I  ask  is  that  you 
shall  forget  that  you  ever  saw  me  after  I  disappeared 
into  my  prison.  To  you,  and  to  anyone  else  in  the 
world  who  may  be  interested  in  the  information,  I 
am  John  New." 

"  Is  that  the  name  you  have  given  yourself  ?  " 
he  asked  sharply. 

"  The  name  that  has  been  given  to  me  by  a 
certain  friend  I  have  found,"  I  replied.  "  I  spoke 
just  now  of  a  second  matter  about  which  I  wanted 
to  talk  to  you — a  matter  of  serious  moment  to 
myself,  and  one  in  which  you  can  do  a  kindly 
action." 

He  looked  at  me  in  the  old  suspicious  manner  ; 
yet  I  saw  that  in  his  fear  of  me  he  was  anxious 
to  please  me.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  he  demanded.  "And 
why  should  I  do  it  ?  I  don't  believe  in  kindly 
actions," 


174  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  seated  myself  on  the  table  beside  him,  and  laid 
the  heavy  stick  behind  me.  "  Uncle  Zabdiel,"  I 
began,  leaning  down  so  as  to  look  into  his  eyes, 
"you're  an  old  man,  and,  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
things,  you  can't  have  very  long  to  live.'* 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  he 
exclaimed  angrily.  "  There's  nothing  the  matter 
with  me  ;  I'm  younger  and  stronger,  in  my  feelings 
at  least,  than  I  ever  was.     I'm  hale  and  hearty." 

"  You're  a  weak  and  defenceless  old  man,  living 
all  alone,  with  no  one  in  the  world  to  care  for  you — 
with  no  one  to  trouble  much  whether  you  live  or 
whether  you  die,"  I  went  on  persistently.  "  God 
knows  you  might  have  made  something  of  me,  if 
you'd  ever  set  about  it  in  any  other  fashion  than 
that  you  chose  to  adopt ;  but  you  killed  Norton 
Hyde,  and  he's  done  with  and  forgotten.  And 
you're  going  on  in  the  same  hard,  grinding  fashion 
for  the  rest  of  your  days,  until  some  day,  if  nothing 
happens  to  you " 

He  looked  at  me  with  gaping  mouth.  "  Wliat 
should  happen  to  me  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  whisper. 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders.  "  How  can  I  possibly 
tell  ?  "  I  answered.  "  I  say  that  if  nothing  liappens 
to  you,  some  fine  morning  you'll  be  found  lying  out 
stark  and  stiff  on  that  great  bed  of  yours  upstairs, 
with  your  eyes  open  or  shut,  as  the  case  may  be  ; 
and  you'll  be  just  the  husk  of  a  poor  old  creature 
who  couldn't  take  his  gold  with  him,  and  has  slipped 
away  in  the  night  to  meet  the  God  whose  laws  of 
humanity  and  tenderness  he  had  outraged  from 
the  beginning.  Yes,  Uncle  Zabdiel,  you'll  be  just  a 
dead  old  man,  leaving  behind  you  certain  property, 
to  be  squabbled  over  and  fought  over.  And  that 
will  be  the  end  of  you." 

"  You're  trying  to  frighten  me,"  he  said,  with 
nervous  fingers  plucking  at  his  lips.  '*  I'm  very 
well,  and  I'm  very  strong." 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  175 

"  I'm  not  trying  to  frighten  you  ;  I'm  telling  you 
facts.  It  is  just  left  for  you  to  set  against  all  the 
wrong  you  have  done  one  little  good  deed  that  may 
help  to  balance  matters  at  the  finish.  And  you 
won't  do  it.'" 

"  I  never  said  I  wouldn't  do  it,"  he  pleaded. 
"  You  take  me  up  so  suddenly,  Norton  ;  you've 
no  patience.  I  am  an  old  man,  as  you  say,  and 
sometimes  my  health  and  strength  ar*  not  what 
they  were ;  but,  then,  doctors  are  so  infernally 
expensive.  Tell  me  what  you  want  me  to  do,  my 
boy  ;  I'll  do  it  if  I  can." 

I  was  so  certain  that  I  had  absolutely  subdued 
him  that  I  did  not  hesitate  to  lay  my  plan  before 
him  :  it  was  a  plan  I  had  had  in  my  mind  all  the 
day  before,  and  for  some  part  at  least  of  that  night 
I  had  spent  in  the  house. 

"  There  is  a  young  lady  whom  I  have  met  under 
curious  circumstances,"  I  began  earnestly,  "  and 
that  young  lady  is  in  great  danger." 

"  What's  that  to  do  with  me  ?,"  he  snapped,  with 
something  of  his  old  manner. 

"  Will  you  listen  ?  "  I  asked  impatiently.  "  Just 
understand  that  this  young  lady  is  nothing  to  me, 
and  never  can  be  anything  ;  but  I  want  to  help  her. 
She  hasn't  a  friend  in  the  world  except  myself,  and 
I  want  to  find  some  place  to  which,  in  an  emergency, 
I  can  bring  her,  and  where  she  will  be  safe.  I 
tell  you  frankly  I  wouldn't  suggest  this  to  you  if 
there  were  any  other  place  on  earth  to  which  I  could 
take  her ;  but  every  other  way  of  escape  seems 
barred.  If  I  can  persuade  her  to  trust  me,  will 
you  give  her  shelter  here  ?  " 

,  He  looked  up  at  me  for  a  moment  or  two.  I 
saw  that  it  was  in  his  mind  to  refuse  flatly  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  matter.  But  he  had  been 
more  shaken  that  night  even  than  I  suspected, 
and  he  was  afraid  to  refuse  me  anything.     Never- 


176  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

thelcss,  he  began  to  beat  round  the  question,  in  the 
hope  of  evading  a  direct  answer  to  it. 

"  What  sliould  I  do  with  a  girl  here  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  There's  only  one  old  woman  who  comes  to  the 
house  to  look  after  me.  Tliis  is  no  place  for  a  girl  ; 
besides,  if  she's  a  decent  sort  of  girl,  she  ought  to 
have  a  mother  or  a  father,  or  some  sort  of  relative, 
to  look  after  her." 

"  Vvc  told  you  that  she's  absolutely  alone  in  the 
world,"  I  rephed  to  that. 

"  And  what's  her  danger  ?  "  he  asked.  "  We 
live  in  the  twentieth  century,  and  there  are  the 
police " 

"  Can  /  apply  to  the  police  ?  "  I  asked  him. 

"  No,  I  suppose  you  can't,"  he  acknowledged. 
"  Well,  at  any  rate,  let  me  know  what  you  want  me 
to  do,  and  how  long  the  girl  will  stop — and  I'll  do 
the  best  I  can.  After  all,  perhaps  what  you  said 
about  me  being  an  old  man,  and  being  found  dead, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing — perhaps  it  may  have 
some  truth  in  it.  And  I've  not  been  so  very  hard 
on  people,  and  even  if  I  have,  you  seem  to  think 
that  this  kindness  to  the  young  lady  will  make  it 
all  right  for  me.  Because,  you  know,"  he  added, 
with  a  shake  of  the  head,  "  it's  a  great  deal  to  ask 
anyone  to  do.  Girls  are  more  nuisance  than  they're 
worth.  Boys  are  bad  enough — but  girls  !  "  He  held 
up  his  hands  in  horror  at  the  mere  thought  of  them. 

I  felt  very  grateful  to  him,  and  quite  elated  at 
my  success.  I  took  one  of  his  feeble  old  hands, 
which  he  yielded  with  reluctance,  and  shook  it 
warmly.  "  You're  doing  a  greater  kindness  than 
you  can  imagine,"  I  said.  "  I'll  let  you  know  if  I 
can  persuade  the  girl  to  come  here  ;  I  won't  take 
you  by  surprise  again." 

"  I'm  glad  to  know  that,  at  least,"  he  said. 
"  You've  given  me  an  awful  shock  as  it  is.  Now 
I  suppose  you'll  go  away  again  quietly  ?  " 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  177 

*'  Yes,"  I  said,  getting  down  from  the  table, 
"  I'll  go  away  again.  But  let  me  give  you  a  word 
of  warning,  Uncle  Zabdiel  :  even  the  best  of  us 
are  inclined  to  forget  promises  in  this  world.  You 
have  sworn  that  you  will  not  tell  any  one  my 
secret." 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  whined,  "  do  you  seriously 
think  that  I  should  betray  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  I  don't  think  you  would. 
It  would  be  bad  for  you  if  you  did  ;  my  vengeance 
would  reach  quite  a  long  way.'" 

"  All  right,  my  boy,"  he  replied  hastily,  as  he  got 
to  his  feet  and  moved  away  from  me.  "  No  threats  ; 
no  threats  ;  they  are  quite  unnecessary.'' 

When  I  left  him  it  was  fully  daylight.  I  came 
out  of  the  house  into  the  narrow,  high-walled  garden, 
and  left  him  standing  at  the  door  in  his  black  skull- 
cap and  dressing-gown,  peering  out  at  me  ;  then 
the  door  was  closed,  and  the  dark  house  swallowed 
him  up. 

I  was  now  quite  determined  that  I  would  go 
back  to  the  house  of  Bardolph  Just,  and  would 
find  out  for  myself  what  was  happening  there.  I 
had  no  real  hope  of  meeting  Debora,  save  by  acci- 
dent ;  I  knew  that  since  my  disclosure  I  was  less 
to  her  than  any  common  tramp  she  might  meet 
upon  the  roadside.  But  when  I  thought  of  her, 
without  a  friend,  in  that  great  house,  and  with  one 
man  and  one  woman  at  least  bent  upon  her  death, 
I  felt  that  private  considerations  must  be  tossed 
aside,  and  that  I  must  swallow  my  pride  and  my 
sense  of  injury,  and  must  go  to  her  help.  If  by 
some  good  fortune  I  could  persuade  her  that  the 
jail-bird  she  knew  me  to  be  was  swallowed  up  in 
the  man  who  hopelessly  loved  her,  and  was  eager 
to  help  her,  I  might  yet  be  able  to  perform  that 
miracle  of  saving  her.  I  felt  that  I  had  conquered 
the  man   I   had  least  hope  of  conquering — Uncle 

M 


178  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

Zabdiel ;  1  was  less  afraid  of  others  than  I  had 
been  of  him. 

The  thought^of  Martha  Leach  troubled  me  most ; 
there  was  something  so  implacable  about  her 
enmity.  That  she  meant  to  destroy  the  girl,  I 
knew  ;  and  I  felt  certain,  from  what  I  had  Iieard, 
that  she  was  equally  bent  on  destroying  me.  I 
chuckled  to  myself  at  the  thought  that  in  that 
second  business  I  had  defeated  her  ;  I  was  equally 
confident  that  I  should  defeat  her  in  the  first.  For 
in  defeating  her  I  knew  that  my  surest  weapon  would 
be  the  doctor  himself,  because  anything  that  hap- 
pened to  me  in  the  way  of  exposure  must  bring  that 
dead  man  from  his  grave,  and  must  revive  that 
scandal  he  was  so  anxious  to  cover  up.  I  made  a 
shrewd  guess  that  the  woman,  in  rushing  full  tilt 
against  me,  was  doing  so  blindly,  and  without  con- 
sulting Bardolph  Just.  Knowing  the  power  of  that 
man  over  her,  I  thought  that  I  could  stop  her  even 
more  easily  than  I  had  stopped  my  uncle. 

However,  I  had  blundered  badly  once  or  twice 
by  plunging  headlong  into  matters  that  required 
careful  consideration  ;  with  a  new  wisdom  that  was 
coming  to  me,  I  determined  to  reform  that  trait  in 
my  character,  and  to  weigh  what  I  purposed  doing 
for  a  few  hours  before  setting  about  it.  I  would 
marshal  my  facts,  and  so  have  them  ready  at  my 
tongue's  end  when  I  wanted  them. 

Thus  it  happened  that  I  spent  a  large  part  of  the 
day  wandering  about,  and  striving  to  arrive  at  some 
definite  plan  of  action.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon 
when  I  went  at  last  to  the  house  of  Bardolph  Just, 
and  opened  the  outer  gate  and  walked  into  the 
grounds.  I  will  confess  that  my  heart  was  beating 
a  little  heavily,  because  I  knew  that  I  might  at  any 
moment  meet  Debora,  and  I  could  guess  what  her 
attitude  would  be.  However,  I  came  to  the  house, 
and  rang  the  bell,  and  waited  to  be  admitted. 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  179 

The  servant  who  came  to  the  door  at  last  looked 
at  me  in  some  Httle  surprise,  I  thought,  but  greeted 
me  civilly  enough.  I  enquired  for  the  doctor  as 
I  stood  in  the  hall ;  I  thought  the  man  seemed 
astonished  that  I  should  ask  the  question. 

"  Dr.  Just  is  away,  sir.  Everybody's  away,  sir," 
he  said. 

"  Away  ?  "  I  stared  at  the  man  in  a  dazed 
fashion,  wondering  what  he  meant.    "  Everybody  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  Dr.  Just,  and  Mr.  Scoff  old,  and  Miss 
Debora.  They've  all  gone  down  to  Green  Barn,  in 
Essex,  sir.  Quite  a  large  party,  sir,"  went  on  the 
man  garrulously.  "  Mrs.  Leach  has  gone  with 
them." 

I  kept  my  head  lowered,  that  the  man  might  not 
see  the  expression  on  my  face.  "  When  did  they 
go  ?  "  I  asked  slowly. 

"  Yesterday,  sir.  Dr.  Just  said  they  would  go 
down  for  some  shooting." 

The  man  spoke  glibly  enough  as  he  told  his  news, 
and  I  stood  awkwardly  in  front  of  him,  wondering 
what  I  should  do.  After  a  long  pause  I  looked  up, 
and  asked,  "  Is  there  no  one  here  at  all,  except 
yourself  and  the  other  servants  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir  !  I  quite  forgot,"  said  the  man. 
"  Old  Capper  is  here,  and  another  party  that  the 
doctor  left  behind  to  look  after  him.  Rather  a 
rough  sort  of  party,  sir — name  of  Rabbit." 

"  Where  are  they  ?  "  I  asked  quickly.  "  I  want 
to  see  them.'' 

The  man  told  me  that  they  were  in  a  little  room 
at  the  back  of  the  house,  and  I  went  there  at  once. 
I  was  more  disturbed  in  my  mind  about  this  than 
about  anything  else ;  filled  with  perplexity  that 
Capper  should  have  been  brought  back  to  that 
house,  as  I  guessed  he  must  have  been  by  Harvey 
Scoffold  ;  still  more  puzzled  to  know  why  George 
Rabbit  had  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  what  the 


i8o  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

purpose  could  be  in  putting  him  in  charge  of  that 
amiable  old  madman,  Capper.  I  opened  the  door 
of  the  room  and  walked  in. 

George  Rabbit  was  lounging  on  a  window-seat  by 
an  open  window,  smoking  a  pipe  ;  Capper  sat  up- 
right on  a  chair,  looking  at  the  other  man  with  that 
curious  half-wistful,  half-puzzled  expression  that  I 
had  seen  on  his  face  before.  Mr.  Rabbit  did  not 
take  the  trouble  to  move  when  I  entered  ;  he  merely 
waved  a  hand  nonchalantly,  and  went  on  smoking. 
"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  I  demanded  of  him. 
"  Got  a  noo  job — an'  a  rummy  sort  o'  job  at 
that,"  he  replied,  with  a  jerk  of  his  head  in  the 
direction  of  Capper.  "  Plenty  to  eat  an'  drink,  'an 
a  nice  fewer  bed  to  sleep  in,  'an  on'y  him  to  keep 
a  eye  on.     Rum  ole  cove,  ain't  'e  ?  " 

"  I  thought  I  warned  you  to  keep  away  from 
this  place,  and  to  keep  away  from  me,"  I  said 
sternly. 

"  You  did,  'an  you  wasn't  too  nice  about  the 
language  you  put  it  in,"  he  said  complacently,  as 
he  puffed  out  a  huge  volume  of  smoke.  "  But,  yer 
see,  I  wasn't  goin'  to  be  ordered  abaht  by  the  likes 
o'  you,  an'  so  I  jist  made  up  my  mind  I'd  come 
along,  an'  'ave  a  little  talk  wiv  the  doctor.  Nice 
man,  the  doctor — real  tip-top  gent." 

"  But  Dr.  Just  warned  you  to  keep  away  from 
here,"  I  reminded  him. 

"  Yus,  but,  yer  see,  I  put  it  plain  to  the  doctor 
that  I  might  be  a  bit  useful  to  'is  nibs — a  deal  more 
useful  inside,  w'ere  I  couldn't  talk,  than  outside, 
w'ere  I  could.  The  doctor  seemed  to  see  it  in  the 
same  way,  an'  so  'e  left  me  in  charge  of  this  ole 
chap,  wot  seems  to  'ave  a  tile  loose  ;  an'  'e's  gorn 
orf  into  the  country  to  'ave  a  pot  at  the  dicky 
birds,  an'  the  rabbits  an'  fings." 

"  And  are  you  to  stop  here  until  he  comes 
back  ?  "  I  asked. 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  i8i 

"  That's  the  ticket,"  he  repHed.  "  An'  wot's  yer 
'ighness  goin'  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  at  all  events,  nothing  that 
concerns  you,"  I  answered. 

"  Perlite  and  haffable  as  ever  !  "  commented  Mr. 
Rabbit.  "  By  the  way,  I  unnerstood  that  you'd 
gorn,  an'  that  we  wasn't  goin'  to  see  any  more  of 
yer.  You  might  let  me  know  w'ere  you're  goin'  to 
live — fer  the  sake  of  ole  times." 

I  guessed  why  he  wanted  to  know  my  move- 
ments. I  shrewdly  suspected  that  the  woman 
Martha  Leach  had  already  given  him  Zabdiel  Blow- 
field's  message.  Therefore,  although  my  mind  was 
pretty  firmly  made  up  as  to  what  I  must  do,  I 
determined  to  put  him  off  the  scent. 

"  Oh,  in  all  probability,  I  shall  remain  here  for 
the  present,"  I  said, 

"  Good  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Rabbit  heartily.  "  Then 
I  shall  'ave  company.  Between  you  an'  me, 
I'm  a  little  tired  of  ole  waxworks  'ere,  wot  sits 
smilin'  an'  never  syin'  a  word,  except  to  ask 
about  'is  young  master.  I  tell  yer,  'e  fair  gits  on 
my  nerves." 

"  I'll  go  and  see  if  my  room's  ready,"  I  said ;  and 
walked  out  of  the  room. 

Going  into  the  dining-room,  I  rang  the  bell,  and 
waited  until  the  servant  who  had  admitted  me  put 
in  an  appearance  ;  then  I  asked  a  question  quite 
casually. 

"  By  the  way,  what  place  did  you  say  the  doctor 
had  gone  to  ?     Was  it  Green  Barn  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  was  down  there  myself  last  year. 
Very  pretty  place,  sir.  Comerford  is  the  station. 
Essex,  sir." 

"  Oh,  I  see  !  "  I  answered  with  a  yawn.  "  By 
the  way,  I  shall  stay  here  to-night.  Is  my  room 
ready  ?  " 

"  Just  as  you  left  it,  sir,"  said  the  man. 


i82  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  dismissed  him,  and  then  proceeded  to  empty 
my  pockets,  to  discover  what  money  I  had,  I 
knew  that  I  must  get  to  Comerford  that  night ;  I 
began  to  be  oppressed  with  dreadful  fears  of  what 
might  happen  in  a  lonely  country  house,  with  the 
girl  at  the  mercy  of  these  three  people,  all  con- 
spiring against  her.  For  by  this  time  I  reckoned 
Harvey  Scoffold  as  being  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
the  otlier  two  in  the  business. 

I  found  that  I  had  exactly  two  shillings  and 
threepence,  and  there  seemed  no  prospect  of  my 
getting  any  more.  I  was  desperate  by  this  time, 
and  I  knew  that  every  moment  was  precious  ;  if  I 
missed  the  last  train  I  might  as  well  not  go  at  all. 
I  determined  that  in  such  a  cause  as  this  any  scruples 
of  conscience  I  might  have  must  go  to  the  winds ; 
I  must  resume  my  old  trade  which  had  once  brought 
me  into  disaster. 

I  looked  about  for  the  most  valuable  article  I 
could  discover,  and  presently  found  it,  in  a  beautiful 
old-fashioned  watcli,  lying  upon  a  cabinet  merely 
as  an  ornament  ;  it  was  a  wonderful  piece  of  work- 
manship, in  three  exquisitely  engraved  and  pierced 
cases.  I  slipped  it  into  my  pocket,  and  got  my  cap 
and  a  walking-stick  from  the  hall,  and  slipped 
unobserved  out  of  the  house. 

In  an  old  curiosity  shop  in  Heath  Street,  Hamp- 
stead,  I  sold  the  watch — after  some  haggling  I  got 
six  pounds  for  it.  Coming  out  of  the  place  the 
richer  by  that  sum,  I  found  a  cab,  and  drove  at 
once  to  Liverpool  Street  Station.  There  I  found, 
by  great  good  fortune,  that  a  train  was  to  leave  for 
Comerford  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  I  took 
my  seat,  and  in  due  course  alighted  without  further 
adventure  at  the  little  out-of-the-way  station  bear- 
ing that  name.  Not  wishing  to  attract  attention 
in  a  place  where,  doubtless,  the  doctor  was  well 
Known,  I  strolled  out  of  the  station  into  the  quiet 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  183 

dusk  of  the  summer  evening,  and  took  my  way 
down  into  the  village. 

You  may  be  sure  that  I  kept  a  sharp  look-out, 
lest  by  any  chance  I  should  stumble  upon  anyone 
from  Green  Barn  ;  and  I  determined  that  when  I 
made  enquiries  for  the  place  it  should  be  from 
someone  not  likely  to  pay  much  attention  to  me  or 
to  note  my  appearance.  I  meant  to  move  slowly 
but  steadily,  making  as  few  false  steps  as  possible  ; 
and  Lknew  that  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  get 
to  the  house  and  find  out  what  was  happening  there. 

In  the  first  place,  however,  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  would  procure  a  bed  for  the  night.  I  chose 
a  little  clean  inn  in  a  back  street,  and  for  a  matter 
of  a  shilling  or  two  settled  to  keep  the  room  as  long 
as  I  wanted  it.  Lounging  in  the  doorway  of  it 
with  the  landlord,  I  made  a  casual  enquiry  as  to 
what  places  of  interest  there  were  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  and  the  man,  after  reeling  off  a  long  cata- 
logue of  places  about  which  I  cared  nothing,  came 
at  last  to  Green  Barn,  and  told  me  where  it  lay.  I 
stored  that  information  in  my  mind,  and  a  little 
later  strolled  out  to  find  the  place. 

I  found  that  it  lay  some  little  distance  from  the 
village,  and  was  surrounded  by  very  considerable 
grounds  and  fields,  and  a  great  growth  of  trees  that 
might,  perhaps,  by  a  stretch  be  called  a  wood.  In 
the  twilight  I  saw  rabbits  hopping  about,  and 
heard  the  cries  of  birds  among  the  trees  and  bushes. 
I  gathered  that  there  would  be  there  what  I  believe 
is  known  as  "  good  mixed  shooting." 

The  house  itself  stood  in  a  hollow,  and  I  set  it 
down  at  once  as  being  decidedly  lonely  and  damp. 
It  had  unwholesome-looking  green  lichens  stuck 
about  it  here  and  there,  and  the  outhouses  were  in 
a  bad  state  of  repair.  As  I  moved  cautiously  round 
it,  keeping  well  within  shelter,  I  saw  no  dogs,  nor 
did  I  observe  any  stir  of  life  about  it,  as  one  might 


iS4  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

expect  to  see  about  the  country  house  of  a  prosper- 
ous man.  A  few  Hghts  were  showing  in  the  windows, 
and  when  presently  I  came  to  the  front  of  the  house, 
I  saw  that  the  great  liall  door  was  standing  wide 
open.  Once  or  twice  I  saw  a  servant  cross  this, 
and  disappear,  as  though  going  from  one  room  to 
the  other.  Presently,  as  I  lay  hidden,  I  saw  Harvey 
Scoffold  come  out  with  a  big  cigar  between  his 
lips,  and  his  arms  swaying  about  lazily  above  his 
head,  as  he  stretched  himself.  He  seated  himself 
in  a  creaking  wicker  chair  on  the  porch,  and  I 
lay  watching  the  glowing  end  of  his  cigar  for  a 
long  time. 

Bardolph  Just  came  out  presently,  and  joined 
him.  They  sat  knee  to  knee  for  a  while,  with 
their  heads  bent  forward,  talking  in  low  tones  ;  I 
could  not  distinguish  what  was  said.  Presently 
both  the  heads  turned,  and  the  men  glanced  to- 
wards the  lighted  hall  behind  them  ;  then  the 
doctor  sprang  uj),  and  pushed  back  his  chair. 

Then  I  saw  Debora  come  slowly  down  the  hall 
to  the  porch.  The  doctor  spoke  to  her,  and  I  saw 
her  shake  her  head.  My  he^irt  was  thumping  so 
that  I  had  a  foolish  feeling  that  they  must  hear  it, 
and  discover  me  where  I  lay  hidden. 

The  girl  came  down  the  few  steps  from  the  porch, 
and  turned  off  into  the  grounds.  Bardolph  Just, 
after  standing  looking  after  her  for  a  long  minute, 
sat  down  again,  and  went  on  talking  to  Scoffold. 
So  far  as  Debora  was  concerned,  she  confined  her 
walk  to  an  avenue  among  the  trees,  up  and  down 
which  she  paced  for  half  an  hour,  with  her  hands 
hanging  loosely  at  her  sides,  and  with  an  air  of 
utter  desolation  and  dejection  upon  her.  During 
all  that  time  she  only  stopped  once. 

It  was  at  the  end  of  the  avenue  furthest  from  the 
house,  and  nearest  to  where  I  lay  among  the  bushes. 
She  stopped,  and  laid  an  arm  against  the  trunk  of 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  1S5 

a  tree,  and  put  her  head  against  the  arm  ;  and  so 
stood  for  a  long  time,  as  I  felt  sure,  weeping  softly. 
What  I  suffered  in  that  time  I  will  not  try  to  ex- 
plain ;  I  would  have  given  anything  and  everything 
to  be  able  to  steal  up  to  her,  and  to  put  my  arms 
about  her,  and  to  comfort  her.  But  that  was,  of 
course,  clearly  impossible. 

She  went  back  into  the  house  at  last,  passing 
between  the  two  rnen  and  leaving  them  together  on 
the  porch.  I  determined  that  I  would  keep  my 
vigil  as  long  as  they  did,  even  though  I  could  not 
overhear  what  was  said.  I  could  see  that  the  doctor 
was  laying  down  the  law  upon  some  matter  to 
Harvey  Scoffold.  I  could  see  every  now  and  then 
first  one  and  then  the  other  turn  sharply  and  glance 
into  the  lighted  hall,  as  though  fearing  to  be  over- 
heard. At  last  Scoffold,  with  a  gesture  of  impati- 
ence, got  up  and  came  down  the  steps  ;  the  great 
bulk  of  him  blotted  out  the  other  man  for  a 
moment. 

Immediately  afterwards  the  doctor  rose,  and 
marched  down  the  steps  also,  until  he  came  to  where 
Harvey  Scoffold  was  standing.  They  moved  off 
arm-in-arm  into  that  avenue  in  which  but  a  little 
time  before  the  girl  had  walked  so  long  ;  and  now  I 
strained  my  ears,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  catch 
what  they  said.  But  only  scraps  of  conversation 
floated  to  me. 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,  Harvey,"  I  heard  the  doctor 
say,  "  there  is  absolutely  no  danger  .  .  .  the  merest 
accident." 

"  I  can't  say  I  like  it  at  all ;  it  may  seem  suspicious. 
Lonely  country  place,  and  you  with  an  interest  in 
the  girl's  death.     I  consider  it  much  too  risky." 

They  passed  me,  and  came  slowly  back  again. 
And  what  I  heard  then  was  startling  enough,  in  all 
conscience.     It  was  the  doctor  who  spoke. 

"  Gun  accidents  have  happened  before  to-day,  and 


i86  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

will  happen  again,  especially  over  such  land  as 
this." 

I  remembered  then  what  I  had  been  told  about 
this  shooting  party  that  had  been  organised  ;  I 
wondered  what  they  meant  to  do.  I  could  only 
shrewdly  guess  that  in  some  fashion  the  girl  was  to 
be  drawn  into  the  matter,  and  that  the  doctor  had 
plotted  with  Harvey  Scoffold  that  an  apparent 
accident  of  some  sort  should  take  place.  I  did  not 
need  to  be  told  who  the  victim  was  to  be,  I  lay 
there,  long  after  they  had  gone  into  the  house  and 
the  door  had  been  closed,  wondering  what  I  should 
do,  and  realising  more  and  more  with  every  minute 
how  utterly  helpless  I  was.  To  warn  the  girl  was 
impossible,  because,  even  if  I  got  speech  with  her,  she 
would  in  all  probability  refuse  to  believe  anything 
I  said.  To  set  myself  face  to  face  with  Harvey 
Scoffold  and  the  doctor  would  be  absurd,  because 
they  would,  of  course,  deny  that  any  such  conver- 
sation had  taken  place,  or  at  least  deny  the  con- 
struction I  had  put  upon  their  words.  I  lay  there 
until  very  late,  debating  the  matter,  and  at  last  came 
to  a  desperate  resolve. 

If  they  meant  murder,  then  I  determined  that 
murder  should  be  met  with  murder.  In  some  way 
that  was  at  present  vague  in  my  mind  I  determined 
that  I  would  follow  the  party  on  the  morrow,  if  that 
was  tiie  time  arranged,  and  if  I  could  only  secure 
some  weapon,  even  if  I  were  not  in  time  to  save  her, 
her  death  should  be  avenged.  I  went  home  with 
my  head  singing,  and  with,  as  it  seemed,  the  sky 
blood-red  above  me. 

I  thought  at  first  that  I  would  borrow  a  gun  from 
the  landlord  of  the  inn,  but  as  I  looked  a  peaceful 
sort  of  fellow,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  that  must 
at  once  throw  suspicion  upon  me.  I  determined, 
just  before  I  went  to  bed,  that  I  would  go  very  early 
to  Green  Barn  in  the  morning,  and  there  would  let 


A  SHOOTING  PARTY.  187 

Fate  decide  for  me  at  the  last  moment.  I  undressed 
and  went  to  bed,  but  it  was  long  before  my  eyes 
closed  in  sleep. 

I  was  abroad  early,  and  was  actually  in  the 
grounds  before  the  house  was  astir.  I  guessed  that 
if  this  was  the  date  on  which  they  meant  to  put  their 
plan  into  execution,  they  would  make  for  that  more 
secluded  wood  I  had  observed  the  night  before,  and 
I  determined  that  when  the  time  came  I  would  take 
my  station  there.  But  first  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  must  have  a  weapon,  and  boldly  enough  I  decided 
that  I  would  get  that,  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst, 
from  the  house  itself.  With  that  purpose  in  mind,  I 
crept  as  near  to  the  house  as  I  could,  with  a  view  to 
observing  how  the  rooms  were  placed,  and  in  the 
hope  that  I  might  discover  the  gun-room,  if  such  a 
place  existed. 

Fortune  favoured  me.  I  worked  my  way  grad- 
ually round  towards  the  back  of  the  house,  and 
judged  that  the  party  were  at  breakfast,  by  the  fact 
that  now  and  then  a  servant  crossed  a  small  paved 
yard,  bearing  dishes,  I  counted  the  number  of  times 
she  went,  and  I  reckoned  my  chances  on  two  things. 
First,  I  guessed  that  some  of  the  servants  would  be  in 
the  dining-room,  and  the  others  in  the  kitchens, 
which  were  detached  from  the  house  ;  the  servant  I 
saw  pass  to  and  fro  was  the  messenger  between 
both.  And  while  I  noted  that  fact,  I  saw  that  the 
gun-room  was  just  off  the  small  hall  into  which  she 
went  each  time  she  carried  anything  across.  I  could 
see  the  shining  barrels  against  the  walls  distinctly. 

What  I  purposed  doing  was  this.  Counting  the 
time  carefully,  I  would  wait  for  her  to  cross  the  yard 
and  to  go  into  the  house  ;  then,  when  she  had  dis- 
appeared, I  would  follow,  and  would  get  into  the 
gun-room.  Before  she  came  out  of  the  house  again 
I  should  have  time  to  select  a  weapon  and  to  load  it ; 
to  remain  concealed  in  the  gun-room,  into  which  she 


i88  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

was  not  likely  to  look ;  and  to  come  out  and  make  my 
way  into  the  grounds  after  she  had  disappeared  into 
the  kitchens. 

My  plan  prospered  as  well  as  I  had  hoped.  I 
slipped  into  the  gun-room  as  the  girl  disappeared  into 
the  house,  and  in  a  moment  I  had  a  gun  down  from 
its  place,  and  had  slipped  the  cartridges  into  position. 
Making  sure  that  all  was  right,  I  crouched  behind  the 
door,  and  saw  the  girl  pass  and  cross  the  yard,  and 
disappear  ;  then  I  stole  out,  and,  getting  clear  of  the 
house,  ran  hard  for  the  woods.  There  I  dropped 
down  into  a  little  hollow  in  the  thickest  part  of  the 
trees,  and  waited. 

In  something  less  than  half  an  hour  I  saw  them 
coming  towards  me  from  the  direction  of  the  house  ; 
Harvey  Scoffold  and  the  doctor,  with  Debora  walking 
between.  She  was  dressed  smartly  in  a  shooting 
costume,  and  carried  a  light  gun  over  her  shoulder, 
as  did  the  others.  They  made  straight  for  the  woods ; 
and  I  lay  there,  with  murder  in  my  heart  and  the 
gun  gripped  in  my  fingers. 


CHAPTER  X. 

I    TOUCH    THE    SKIRTS    OF    HAPPINESS. 

My  feeling  of  horror  at  what  I  instinctively  knew 
was  soon  to  happen  was  perhaps  increased  by  the 
fact  that  this  morning  the  girl  seemed  to  be  in  the 
brightest  possible  humour.  She  was  laughing  and 
chatting,  turning  first  to  one  man  and  then  to  the 
other,  as  she  stepped  gaily  along  between  them. 
Nor  were  Harvey  Scoff  old  and  Bardolph  Just  lacking 
in  apparent  good  humour  ;  Harvey  Scoffold,  in  par- 
ticular, was  laughing  boisterously.  Every  now  and 
then  the  two  men  would  exchange  glances  behind 
the  unconscious  girl,  as  though  assuring  each  other 
that  they  were  ready  for  some  signal  to  pass  from 
one  to  the  other. 

They  came  straight  on  down  through  the  wood, 
with  one  figure  now  hidden  for  a  moment  by  the 
trees,  and  then  the  three  of  them  fully  in  sight  again. 
In  the  hollow  where  I  lay  I  now  and  then  heard  a 
quick  rustling,  and  saw  a  rabbit  dart  across  and 
disappear  ;  I  realised  that  I  might  be  in  some  danger 
if  the  party  fired  in  my  direction.  But  concerning 
that  I  was  quite  reckless. 

Debora  proved  to  be  a  capital  shot,  and  Harvey 
Scoffold  was  second  only  to  her.  The  doctor  fired 
only  once,  and  then  he  missed  ;  I  saw  the  girl  tunj 

J89 


iQO  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

and  look  at  him,  and  laugh.  And  his  face  was  not 
pleasant  to  see. 

At  last  I  saw  what  I  had  expected.  Harvey 
Scoffold  and  the  girl  moved  forward  a  little,  and  the 
doctor  stopped.  I  saw  Scoffold  look  back,  with  a 
sharp  turn  of  the  head  for  a  moment ;  saw  him  glance 
sideways  at  the  girl.  I  raised  myself  a  little,  and, 
with  my  heart  thumping  against  my  ribs,  levelled 
the  gun  I  held,  and  looked  along  the  smooth,  shining 
barrel  of  it  until  I  had  Bardolph  Just  squarely  at  the 
end  of  it. 

A  rabbit  darted  across,  straight  in  front  of  Harvey 
Scoffold  and  the  girl ;  I  saw  it  out  of  the  tail  of  my 
eye  as  I  watched  the  doctor.  Both  guns  spoke,  and 
even  as  they  did  so  I  saw  Bardolph  Just  with  his 
gun  to  his  shoulder,  and  the  barrel  pointing  straight 
at  the  girl's  back,  not  five  yards  in  front  of  him.  It 
was  all  so  sudden — first  the  bark  of  the  two  guns  in 
front — then  my  own  weapon  seemed  to  go  off  at  the 
same  moment.  In  my  excitement  I  let  him  have 
both  barrels  ;  I  saw  his  own  gun  explode  harmlessly 
in  the  air,  and  then  fall  from  his  hands.  He  dropped 
to  his  knees  with  a  cry,  and  held  his  left  wrist  with 
the  fingers  of  his  right  hand  locked  round  it.  His 
face  was  very  white,  and  he  rocked  himself  back- 
wards and  forwards  as  he  knelt  there,  and  bit  his 
lower  lip  until  I  saw  a  faint  trickle  of  blood  down 
his  chin. 

I  knew  that  I  had  in  all  probability  shattered  his 
wrist ;  so  much  at  least  I  hoped.  The  others  had  run 
back,  and  the  girl  was  kneeling  beside  him,  while 
Scoffold  stood  staring  at  him  in  very  genuine  amaze- 
ment. I  saw  the  doctor  turn  his  head  swiftly  and 
look  sharply  in  my  direction  ;  then  he  said  something 
in  a  low  tone  to  Scoffold.  I  could  not  hear  what 
was  said,  but  I  saw  him  stagger  to  his  feet,  with  the 
help  of  the  girl,  and  saw  them  go  slowly  towards  the 
house.     Harvey  Scoffold  stood  still,  looking  after 


THE   SKIRTS   OF  HAPPINESS.         191 

them  for  a  moment  ;  then  he  turned  sharply  and 
faced  towards  where  I  was.  I  saw  him  open  the 
breech  of  his  gun  and  shp  a  cartridge  in  ;  then  he 
walked  straight  towards  me. 

My  gun  was  of  course  empty,  but  when  he  first 
caught  sight  of  me  I  was  kneeling  in  a  very  business- 
like attitude,  with  the  weapon  levelled.  He  looked 
straight  down  the  barrels  of  it.  He  stopped,  and  I 
saw  him  fumbling  with  the  trigger  of  his  own. 

"  Have  a  care,  Mr.  Scoff  old,"  I  said  quietly.  "  I 
have  you  covered." 

"  What  are  you  doing  there  ?  "  he  stammered. 

"  I'll  tell  you  presently,"  I  answered  him,  still 
keeping  my  gun  raised.  "  Now,  reverse  that  gun  of 
yours  ;  come  a  little  nearer.  That's  it  ;  now  lay  it 
on  the  grass.  Go  back  a  pace  or  two  ;  now  stand 
still.  And  remember  that  if  you  play  any  tricks  I'm 
in  a  mood  to  blow  your  brains  out.  I  shall  shoot 
you  through  the  head,  Mr.  Harvey  Scoffold — not 
through  the  arm." 

By  this  time  he  was  standing  some  paces  away, 
his  arms  hanging  by  his  sides.  I  got  up,  and  stepped 
forward  to  where  his  gun  lay,  and  picked  it  up.  I 
dropped  my  own  behind  me.  "  Perhaps  you'd  like 
to  know,"  I  said,  after  I  had  made  sure  that  the  gun 
I  had  taken  from  him  was  loaded,  "  that  my  own 
weapon  was  unloaded.  The  doctor  had  both 
barrels." 

I  heard  him  mutter  something  under  his  breath, 
and  I  guessed  pretty  accurately  what  it  was.  He 
kept  his  eyes  on  me,  evidently  watching  for  a  way 
of  escape  ;  he  shifted  his  feet  uneasily,  as  he  stood 
there  covered  by  his  own  gun, 

"  Now,  Harvey  Scoffold,  I'll  have  a  little  explana- 
tion with  you  before  I  go  up  to  the  house,"  I  said. 
"  You  were  in  the  plot  to  murder  this  young  girl. 
Be  careful  how  you  answer  me,  for  my  temper  is  such 
at  this  moment  that  my  fingers  itch  for  this  trigger." 


192  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  My  dear  fellow — I  do  assure  you "  he  began  ; 

hut  at  the  look  in  my  eyes  he  hung  his  head,  and 
blurted  out  the  truth, 

*'  What  could  I  do  ?  "  he  muttered.  "  I  did  my 
best  to  stop  it — to  persuade  the  doctor  to  abandon 
the  idea.  I  only  came  out  this  morning  because 
I  thought — because  I  hoped  I  might  be  able  to 
prevent  it." 

"  You  are  lying,  Harvey  Scoffold,"  I  told  him. 
"  I  have  been  here  both  last  night  and  since  early 
this  morning  ;  I  have  seen  everything,  and  heard  a 
great  deal.  You  were  in  the  plot  ;  you  were  to  hold 
the  attention  of  the  girl  while  murder  was  done.  If 
I  had  not  been  here  she  would  be  lying  dead  now." 

"  It's  true,"  he  said.  "  I'm  bound  to  confess  it's 
true.     But  I  thank  God  you  came  in  time  !  " 

"  Bah  !  "  I  ejaculated  contemptuously.  "  I  don't 
like  your  penitence,  Mr.  Scoffold.  Now  turn  about 
and  go  up  to  the  house.     I'll  follow  you." 

He  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  turned  and 
walked  towards  the  house.  I  picked  up  the  other 
gun  and  followed  him,  and  in  that  order  we  came  to 
the  house,  and  marched  up  the  steps  and  into  the 
hall.     He  looked  back  at  me  over  his  shoulder  then. 

"  Wliich  way  ?  "  he  asked  sulkily. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  doctor,"  I  replied,  setting  the 
guns  down  in  a  corner.  "  Lead  the  way  ;  I'll  follow 
you." 

He  turned  into  a  room  on  the  right,  crossed  it,  and 
came  to  a  door  at  the  other  side.  Opening  this,  he 
passed  through,  and  I  followed  him.  Directly  I  got 
into  the  room  I  saw  before  me  a  curious  little  scene, 
and  one  that,  even  now,  in  the  recollection  of  it, 
sends  a  thrill  at  once  of  pity  and  of  admiration 
through  me,  however  unwillingly.  The  doctor  was 
seated  by  a  table,  on  which  was  spread  a  white  cloth  ; 
an  open  case  of  surgical  instruments  was  by  his  side. 
Leaning  across  the  table  was  Martha  Leach,  doing 


THE  SKIRTS  OF  HAPPINESS.        193 

something  with  a  bowl  of  water  and  a  small  sponge. 
Very  slowly  and  calmly  Bardolph  Just  was  cleaning 
the  broken  flesh  and  bone,  quite  as  calmly,  save  for 
an  occasional  spasm  of  pain  that  crossed  his  face,  as 
though  he  had  been  operating  on  a  patient.  He 
turned  his  head  for  a  moment  as  we  came  into  the 
room,  and  stopped  what  he  was  doing. 

*'  Take  that  fellow  away  !  "  he  shouted. 

But  I  stood  my  ground.  "  Thanks,"  I  replied, 
"  I  prefer  to  remain.  There  is  a  word  or  two  to  be 
said  between  us,  doctor  ;  but  pray  don't  let  me  inter- 
rupt what  you  are  doing.  Your  injury  is  not  quite 
as  bad  as  I  had  hoped  ;  but  then  I  am  not  much  good 
behind  a  gun.     I  hoped  to  hit  a  vital  spot." 

"  Why  did  you  shoot  me  ?  "  he  asked  sullenly. 

"  Don't  ask  idle  questions,"  I  retorted.  "  Get  on 
with  your  work." 

He  rewarded  me  for  that  remark  with  a  scowl,  and 
went  on  again  with  the  work  in  hand.  Now  and 
then  he  gave  a  quick  order,  half  under  his  breath,  to 
the  obedient  Martha  Leach,  who  waited  upon  him 
slavishly  ;  under  his  direction  she  presently  bound 
up  the  arm,  after  cutting  spUnts  for  it  according  to 
a  fashion  he  told  her.  Then,  in  obedience  to  a  sign 
from  him,  she  brought  hun  a  small  glass  of  spirits, 
which  he  drank  quickly ;  I  saw  the  colour  begin  to 
come  back  into  his  white  face. 

"  That  was  an  ordeal,  Harvey,"  he  said.  "  Upon 
my  word,  I  didn't  think  I  had  the  courage.  I  think 
it'll  mend  all  right  now  ;  both  bones  were  shattered." 

He  took  not  the  faintest  notice  of  me,  as  he 
presently  laid  his  hand  in  a  sling  which  the  woman 
Leach  dexterously  twisted  round  his  neck.  He 
nodded  to  her  in  token  that  she  should  go  ;  and  she 
went  slowly  out  of  the  room,  carrying  the  cloth  and 
basin  with  her  ;  she  gave  me  a  deadly  look  as  she 
passed  me.     But  for  her  looks  I  no  longer  cared. 

Perhaps  the  least  composed  of  the  three  of  us  was 

N 


194  I>HAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

Harvey  Scoffold  ;  he  fidgeted  about  from  one  foot 
to  the  other,  and  strove  to  whistle  a  tune  ;  and  all 
tlie  while  glanced  furtively  at  Bardolph  Just  or  at 
myself.  Bardolph  Just,  for  his  part,  stood  like  a  man 
slowly  making  up  his  mind  to  something  ;  I  saw, 
besides,  that  he  was  raging  within  himself  with  pain, 
and  mortification,  and  chagrin,  and  could  with 
difficulty  control  his  feelings.  When  at  last  he 
looked  up  he  repeated  that  question  he  had  asked 
before. 

"  Why  did  you  shoot  me  ?  " 

"  I  preferred  to  shoot  you  rather  than  see  murder 
done  ;  I  meant  to  kill  you,  if  I  could,  because  I 
counted  your  life  more  worthless  than  that  of  Miss 
Debora  Match  wick." 

"  I  was  not  going  to  kill  her,"  he  said  sullenly. 

"  No,"  I  answered  him,  "  there  was  to  be  an 
accident,  and  no  one  would  have  been  more  sorry 
than  her  dear,  devoted  guardian  at  the  deplorable 
result  of  that  accident  !  You  need  not  lie  to  me, 
Dr.  Just ;  your  accomplice  has  already  given  the 
game  away." 

He  glanced  quickly  at  Harvey  Scoffold,  and  that 
gentleman  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  spread 
out  his  hands  protestingly  ;  but  I  saw  that  the 
doctor  believed  that  Scoffold  had  been  made  to 
speak.  The  doctor  walked  across  to  the  window, 
and  stood  there  looking  out  for  some  time.  He 
spoke  at  last,  without  turning  his  head. 

"  You  constitute  yourself  judge  and  executioner 
both,"  he  said.  "  H  you  had  killed  me  I  think  it 
must  have  proved  a  hanging  matter  for  you,  Mr. 
Jailbird." 

"  But  I  should  have  saved  the  girl,"  I  answered. 
"  What  is  my  life  worth,  that  I  should  weigh  it  in  the 
balance  when  there  is  a  question  of  her  safety  ?  " 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?"  he  asked,  turning 
his  head  a  little. 


THE  SKIRTS  OF  HAPPINESS.        195 

"  I  am  going  to  see  Miss  Matchwick,  and  I  am  going 
to  put  the  case  fairly  before  her,"  I  rephed  steadily, 
"  I  intend  to  tell  her  of  the  three  attempts  you  have 
made  upon  her  hfe  ;  I  intend  to  let  her  understand 
that  your  game,  Dr.  Just,  is  murder," 

"  Very  fine,  and  very  brave,"  he  remarked  ;  then 
he  suddenly  swung  round  on  me,  and  barked  out  a 
question.  "  If  you  are  so  certain  of  your  facts,  why 
not  go  to  the  poUce — why  not  stop  this  game  of 
murder,  as  you  call  it  ?  " 

"  You  know  I  can't  do  that,"  I  said.  "  In  the 
first  place  I  cannot  even  declare  who  I  am,  nor  why 
I'm  in  your  house  ;  and  in  the  second,  as  you  know, 
I  have  no  proof," 

He  walked  across  to  where  Harvey  Scoffold  was 
standing,  and  nudged  him  with  his  free  arm  in  the 
ribs.  "  Hark  to  him,  Harvey — ^hark  to  this  fine 
talker !  He  has  no  proof — and  he  dare  not  show 
himself  as  other  men  might.  This  thing  without  a 
name  is  going  to  do  doughty  deeds  for  the  sake  of 
a  young  girl ;  he  claims  already  to  have  saved  her 
three  times  from  death.  What  is  anybody  to 
make  of  it,  if  he  chooses  to  tell  his  story  ?  " 

"  I  make  this  of  it,"  I  broke  in  hotly.  "  I  am  here 
to  see  Miss  Matchwick  ;  I  will  put  the  thing  fairly 
before  her.  If  I  can  do  nothing  else,  I  can  at  least 
show  her  where  her  danger  lies,  so  that  she  may  not 
walk  into  it  without  her  eyes  open." 

I  never  understood  the  man  until  long  afterwards 
— at  least,  I  never  understood  him  fully  ;  perhaps  if 
I  had  I  should  have  been  prepared  for  the  desperate 
chances  he  took,  and  for  the  sheer  recklessness  with 
which  he  carried  matters  through.  He  turned  now 
to  Scoffold,  and  said  quickly — 

"  That's  a  good  notion,  Harvey  ;  that's  a  fair  and 
just  thing  to  say.  We've  had  enough  of  this  fellow, 
who  brags  and  boasts,  and  shoots  men  from  behind 
bushes.     The  young  lady  shall  judge  for  us,  and  shall 


196  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

give  him  his  dismissal.  It's  a  good  idea,  and  one 
that  we  will  see  carried  out.     Fetch  Debora  here." 

"  Stop  !  "  I  cried,  as  Harvey  Scoffold  was  moving 
towards  the  door.  "  We'll  have  no  underhand 
tricks,  and  no  warnings.  Ring  the  bell,  and  send 
a  servant  for  Miss  Matchwick." 

Scoffold  stopped  and  looked  at  the  doctor ;  the 
latter  slowly  nodded  his  head.  So  it  came  about  that 
Scoffold  rang  the  bell,  and  on  the  coming  of  the 
servant  requested  that  Miss  Debora  should  be  asked 
to  step  that  way.  After  the  man  had  retired,  and 
while  we  waited  in  a  grim  silence  for  the  coming  of 
Debora,  I  felt  my  cheeks  begin  to  flame ;  almost  it 
seemed  as  though  I  felt  again  the  sharp  tingling 
pain  where  she  had  lashed  me  across  the  face. 

When  the  door  opened  at  last  the  girl  came  in 
quickly.  She  walked  straight  towards  where  the 
doctor  stood,  and  spoke  at  once  impulsively. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  sorry — so  very  sorry !  "  she  said. 
"  How  did  it  happen  ?  Have  you  found  out  who 
did  it  ?  " 

Bardolph  Just  did  not  speak  ;  he  simply  looked  at 
me.  Following  the  direction  of  his  eyes,  she  turned 
also  and  looked  at  me.  I  saw  her  draw  herself  up 
with  that  quick  little  hft  of  her  chin  ;  I  saw  a  dawning 
smile  in  the  doctor's  eyes. 

"  What  is  that  man  doing  here  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  He  came,  my  dear  Debora,  with  a  purpose — a 
purpose  which  he  has  partly  accomphshed.  My 
broken  wrist  tells  its  own  tale  ;  had  he  had  his  way, 
I  should  probably  not  be  speaking  to  you  now." 

"  Had  he  had  his  way.  Miss  Debora,"  I  blurted 
out,  "  you  would  be  l5ang  dead  somewhere  in  this 
house — as  the  result  of  an  accident !  " 

I  saw  her  face  blanch ;  she  turned  furtive,  frightened 
eyes  for  a  moment  on  the  doctor.  He  shook  his 
head,  with  a  lifting  of  the  eyebrows  which  seemed  to 
suggest  that  he  left  such  a  mad  accusation  to  be 


THE  SKIRTS  OF   HAPPINESS.        197 

judged  properly  by  her ;  and  she  flashed  round 
on   me. 

"  I  don't  believe  it — I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !  " 
she  said. 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  child,"  said  Bardolph  Just. 
"  I  might  have  known  what  your  answer  would  be." 

"  Very  satisfactory — quite  what  might  have  been 
expected,"  murmured  Scoifold. 

The  girl  had  turned  her  head,  and  was  looking  at 
me  steadily.  What  was  in  her  mind  I  could  not  tell, 
for  her  face  told  me  nothing.  Scorn  of  me  I  could 
read,  and  contempt ;  I  felt  my  heart  sink,  even  while 
I  nerved  myself  for  the  task  before  me. 

"  Is  that  why  I  am  sent  for  ?  "  she  said.  "  Is  it 
to  hear  such  an  accusation  as  this  ?  Is  this  what 
you  had  to  say  to  me  ?  " 

Still  her  eyes  looked  contemptuously  into  mine, 
where  I  stood  half  abashed  before  her  ;  still  I  felt 
that  the  doctor  was  growing  momentarily  more  sure 
of  his  victory. 

"  I  asked  that  you  might  be  sent  for,"  I  said, 
beginning  my  reply  steadily,  "  in  order  that  you 
might  understand  what  is  being  done,  and  that  you 
might  guard  yourself  against  it.  If  you  think  me  so 
poor  a  thing  that  I  may  not  help  you,  then  for  God's 
sake  set  me  aside  out  of  the  matter  ;  get  someone  else 
more  worthy  to  assist  you.  But  wake  up — open 
your  eyes — face  this  Death  that  is  waiting  for  you 
at  every  turn  !  " 

She  might  have  been  a  figure  of  stone,  so  little 
movement  did  she  make.  And  now  I  saw  that  both 
Harvey  Scoffold  and  the  doctor  were  watching  her, 
and  not  me. 

"  I  have  pleaded  with  you  before  ;  I  have  told  you 
what  I  know  is  being  done  against  you  and  against 
your  life,"  I  went  on,  speaking  more  eagerly  with 
every  word.  "  That  man  has  tried  to  kill  you  three 
several  times.     He  tried  to  make  you  walk  out  of 


igS  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

that  door  at  dead  of  night ;  he  tried  to  poison  you — 
of  those  things  I  have  already  told  you.  I  was  able 
to  save  you  on  those  two  occasions,  but  after  that 
he  sent  me  away  from  you,  and  I  had  to  leave  you 
to  the  mercy  of  these  men.  Only  by  the  merest 
chance  did  I  find  out  that  you  had  come  down  here, 
and  were  going  on  this  apparently  innocent  expedi- 
tion this  mommg.  Will  you  not  believe  me  when  I 
tell  you  that  I  heard  the  whole  thing  plotted  between 
them  last  night  ?  " 

She  gave  me  no  answer,  although  I  waited  for 
one.     After  a  pause  I  went  on — 

"  There  was  to  be  an  accident  this  morning ;  gun 
accidents  have  hapi>ened  frequently.  Mr.  Sconold 
there  received  his  instructions " 

"  I  protest  against  this  madman ! "  broke  in 
Harvey  Scoff  old.     "  I  assure  you " 

"  Hold  your  tongue  ! "  snapped  the  doctor  un- 
expectedly.    "  Let  him  say  what  he  has  to  say.'* 

"  So  I  got  a  gim  from  the  house,"  I  went  on  ;  "  for 
I  meant  to  kill  Dr.  Just,  if  by  chance  I  was  quick 
enough  to  prevent  him  carrying  out  his  scheme.  I 
lay  in  the  woods  over  there,  and  I  waited ;  then 
I  saw  Harvey  Scoffold  walk  in  front  with  you, 
and  I  saw  the  doctor  step  back.  As  God  is  my 
witness  I  saw  the  man  raise  his  gun  and  point  it 
direct  at  you  ;  then  I  raised  my  own  and  fired." 

Very  slowly  she  turned  her  head,  and  stole  a  look 
at  the  doctor's  face.  I  saw  him  repeat  his  former 
gesture,  as  though  it  were  not  worth  while  for  him  to 
deny  the  matter ;  the  thing  was  so  absurd.  I  saw 
Debora  also  glance  at  Harvey  Scoffold,  who  smiled 
gaily  and  shook  his  head ;  then  she  looked  back 
towards  me.  I  did  not  understand  her ;  I  could  not 
read  into  that  mind  that  was  behind  her  imfathom- 
able  eyes.  If,  while  I  waited  for  her  judgment,  I 
looked  at  her  with  any  look  of  pleading,  it  was  only 


THE  SKIRTS  OF   HAPPINESS.        199 

that  she  might,  for  her  own  sake,  judge  me  fairly, 
and  judge  me  to  be  honest. 

'''  I  won't  trouble  to  remember  the  absurd  name 
you  bear,  a  name  which  is  not  your  own,"  she  began 
very  quietly.  "  I  will  only  remember  that  you  are 
nobody,  and  that  you  forced  your  way  into  Dr.  Just's 
house  while  you  were  a  criminal  flying  from  the  law. 
Do  you  think  it  likely  that  I  should  take  your  word 
in  such  a  matter  as  this  ?  " 

I  saw  Bardolph  Just  exchange  a  quick  look  with 
Harvey  Scoffold,  a  look  compounded  of  gratification 
as  well  as  amazement.  Scoffold,  for  his  part,  was 
openly  grinning. 

"  Your  zeal  for  me  and  for  my  welfare  is  quite 
misplaced,  and  quite  unnecessary,"  went  on  Debora. 
"I'm  sorry  you  should  have  thought  it  necessary  to 
try  and  kill  my  guardian  ;  it  is  a  merciful  thing  that 
you  have  only  injured  him.  That  is  all  I  have  to 
say  to  you." 

"  Debora,"  I  said,  looking  at  her  earnestly,  "  I 
entreat  you  to  believe  that  what  I  have  said  is  true. 
I  know  these  men  ;  I  know  what  their  purpose 
is  ;  I  know  what  must  inevitably  happen  if  you  will 
not  realise  your  own  danger." 

"  Come — we've  had  enough  of  this  !  "  broke  in 
Bardolph  Just.  "  It's  quite  time  we  told  this  fellow 
that  he'd  best  get  away  from  the  place,  and  be  seen 
here  no  more.  He's  had  his  answer,  and  I  hope  he's 
pleased  with  it." 

"  Debora,"  I  went  on,  ignoring  the  man  alto- 
gether, "  I  will  take  you  away  from  this  place,  and 
will  put  you  with  friends  who  will  be  good  to  you. 
Debora,  won't  you  listen  to  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  given  you  my  answer,  and  it  is  a  final 
one,"  she  said.  "  Had  the  warning  come  from  any- 
one else  I  might  have  been  troubled  by  it — mystified 
by  it ;  coming  from  a  man  with  your  record  it  is 
worthless.     When  I  listened  to  you  first  I  did  not 


200  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

understand  who  you  were  ;  now  I  know.     That  is 
the  end  of  it." 

"  It  is  not  the  end  of  it !  "  I  cried  fiercely,  as  she 
turned  away  from  me.  "  I  will  save  you  in  spite  of 
yourself  ;  I  will  make  you  understand  your  danger, 
even  if  you  do  not  see  it  now.  I  shall  ask  no  thanks 
and  seek  no  reward.  I  shall  have  done  it  for  another 
reason."  I  turned  to  the  doctor,  and  pointed  a 
finger  at  him.  "  As  for  you,  sir,  such  a  retribution 
is  preparing  for  you  as  shall  not  be  long  delayed. 
You  think  you  have  seen  the  last  of  me — you  have 
not  done  that  by  any  means.  Don't  forget  that  I 
am  a  desperate  man,  with  nothing  to  lose  in  tliis 
world  save  my  liberty ;  and  I  shall  not  count  that,  if 
it  becomes  necessary  for  me  to  declare  who  I  am, 
and  to  come  forward  into  the  light  of  day  to  protect 
this  girl.     That's  my  last  word  on  the  matter.'" 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  it !  "  retorted  the  doctor. 
"  Open  the  door,  Harvey,  please." 

Mr.  Harvey  Scoffold  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and, 
thus  dismissed,  I  went  out  of  the  house,  and  made 
my  way  towards  the  village.  I  was  sent  upon  my 
way  more  quickly,  perhaps,  from  hearing  a  peal  of 
laughter  from  the  room  I  had  left.  I  went  away 
with  rage  and  bitterness  in  my  heart. 

I  went  back  to  my  lodging  at  the  little  inn,  more 
perplexed  than  ever  as  to  what  I  should  do.  I  knew 
that  this  was  a  new  danger  which  threatened  the 
girl,  because  she  would  prove  an  easier  victim  in  any 
new  scheme  which  might  be  maturing,  by  reason  of 
her  belief  in  the  man  who  meant  to  kill  her  ;  her 
trust  in  him  would  make  her  utterly  unsuspicious. 
The  thought  of  that  drove  me  almost  frantic,  and  I 
raged  up  and  down  my  little  room  in  the  inn,  tor- 
mented by  doubts  and  fears,  and  seeing  my  own 
helplessness  loom  more  largely  before  me  with  every 
moment.  Late  in  the  afternoon  I  went  out  into  the 
village  of  Comerford,  undecided  whether  to  go  back 


THE  SKIRTS   OF   HAPPINESS.        201 

to  London,  or  whether  to  remain  in  that  place.  I 
wandered  aimlessly  about  the  streets,  and  finally 
seated  myself  on  a  gate  a  little  way  out,  and  propped 
my  chin  in  my  hands  and  gave  myself  up  to  the 
gloomiest  thoughts. 

I  became  aware,  in  a  curious,  detached  fashion,  of 
a  small  country  boy,  with  a  very  freckled  face  and 
very  light  hair,  who  had  walked  past  me  twice,  and 
had  observed  me  narrowly  ;  now  I  came  to  think  of 
it,  I  had  seen  him  loitering  along  on  the  other  side 
of  the  street  some  half-hour  previously.  I  looked 
at  him  with  a  frown  now,  and  asked  him  what  he 
wanted. 

To  my  surprise  he  asked  me  if  I  was  Mr.  John  New. 
I  sat  up  and  looked  at  him,  and  said  that  I  was. 
From  one  of  his  pockets  the  boy  drew  out  a  twisted 
piece  of  paper,  flattened  it  with  one  grubby  hand 
upon  the  other,  and  speUed  out  the  name.  Then  to 
my  amazement,  he  handed  the  note  to  me. 

"  Where  did  you  get  this  from  ?  "  I  demanded. 

He  told  me  that  a  lady  had  given  it  to  him,  and 
had  given  him  also  a  shilling  to  find  me.  She  had 
told  him  what  I  was  like,  and  that  I  was  a  stranger 
in  the  village  ;  my  aimlessly  wandering  about  the 
streets  had  done  the  rest,  and  had  shown  me  to  him. 
I  added  another  shilling  to  the  boy's  new  wealth  on 
the  spot,  and  he  went  away  happy.  Then  I  un- 
twisted the  note,  and  read  what  was  written  on  it. 

"  /  want  to  see  you,  and  I  must  see  you  to-day. 
There  is  a  place  at  the  other  side  of  the  wood  where  you 
lay  this  morning — an  old  chalk-pit,  half  filled  with 
water.  At  one  side  of  that  is  a  little  ruined  hut.  I 
shall  be  there  this  evening  at  a  little  after  six.  I  beg 
that  you  will  not  fail  me.  DEBORA." 

So  much  had  I  been  tricked,  and  so  Uttle  faith  had 
I  in  man  or  woman  then,  that  for  a  moment  I 


202  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

believed  that  this  was  another  trap  set,  into  which 
my  feet  should  stumble.  But  the  next  moment,  I 
told  myself  that  surely  this  village  boy  would  not 
have  hed  to  me  over  the  matter.  A  woman  had  sent 
the  note,  and  it  could  be  but  one  woman.  I  thrust 
the  precious  paper  into  my  pocket,  and  set  off  then 
and  there,  witli  my  heart  singing  witliin  me,  to  the 
place  appointed. 

I  came  to  it  well  before  the  time,  and  found  it  to 
be  just  as  the  note  described.  I  had  kept  well  away 
from  the  wood,  and  I  came  easily  to  the  old  disused 
chalk-pit,  which  had  in  it  a  small  pond  of  stagnant 
water,  formed  by  the  rains  of  many  seasons.  Half- 
way up  one  side  of  it  was  the  Uttlc  hut  to  which 
Debora  had  referred.  I  made  my  way  to  it  at  once. 
Sitting  down  on  an  old  bench,  I  looked  through  the 
open  door,  and  so  could  command  the  way  by  which 
she  would  come. 

The  time  drew  on,  and  still  I  saw  notiiing  of  her. 
I  was  beginning  to  think  that  some  one  had  dis- 
covered that  she  had  communicated  with  me,  or  else 
that,  after  all,  this  might  be  a  trap  set  for  me.  I 
blamed  myself  that  I  was  here  in  this  lonely  place 
without  a  weapon.  And  then  suddenly,  far  off,  I 
saw  what  it  was  that  had  delayed  her. 

The  evening  was  very  still  and  very  fine  ;  I  could 
see  a  long  way.  Presently,  in  the  distance,  I  made 
out  a  figure  walking  backwards  and  forwards  on  the 
edge  of  the  wood  ;  after  quite  a  long  time  I  made  it 
out  to  be  the  doctor.  I  knew  in  a  moment  that  the 
man  stood  as  a  barrier  between  the  girl  in  the  house 
and  me  in  the  hut,  and  that  while  he  kept  uncon- 
scious guard  there  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  meet. 
Yet  I  was  as  helpless  as  she  must  be,  and  I  could  only 
wait  until  it  pleased  the  man  to  go  back  to  the  house. 

He  must  have  walked  there  backwards  and  for- 
wards for  more  than  half  an  hour  before  I  suddenly 
saw  him  in  the  clear  light  stop,  and  snap  the  fingers  of 


THE  SKIRTS  OF  HAPPINESS.        203 

his  uninjured  hand  together,  with  the  action  of  a 
man  coming  to  a  sudden  quick  resolution  ;  then  he 
turned,  and  went  off  with  long  strides  in  the  direction 
of  the  house.     I  wondered  what  he  was  going  to  do. 

I  endured  another  period  of  waiting  that  seemed 
interminable  ;  and  then  I  saw  her  coming  quickly 
through  the  wood  and  down  towards  the  chalk-pit. 
She  skirted  the  edge  of  it,  and  came  on  quickly  towards 
where  I  stood  in  the  doorway  of  the  hut  waiting  for 
her.  After  her  declaration  in  the  house,  in  the 
presence  of  the  two  men,  I  could  not  know  in  what 
mood  she  came,  and  I  was  puzzled  how  I  should  greet 
her.  About  that,  however,  I  need  not  have  thought 
at  all,  for  the  miracle  of  it  was  that  she  came  straight 
towards  me,  with  her  eyes  shining,  and  her  hands 
stretched  out  towards  me,  so  that  in  the  most 
wonderful  way,  and  yet  in  a  way  most  natural,  I  took 
her  suddenly  in  my  arms.  And  she  broke  at  once 
into  a  torrent  of  prayers  and  excuses. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  !  my  dear  !  I  was  so  afraid  you 
would  not  meet  me.  I  have  not  deserved  that  you 
should  ;  it  might  have  happened  that  you  would  not 
understand,  and  would  believe  that  all  the  hateful 
things  I  said  were  meant  by  me.  You  didn't  believe 
that,  did  you  ?  " 

"  Well— yes,  I  did,"  I  stammered.  "  What  else 
could  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  understand  that  I  should  have  had  no 
chance  at  all  with  those  men,  unless  I  had  thrown 
them  off  their  guard  ?  I  hated  myself  afterwards, 
when  they  laughed  and  joked  about  you  ;  I  could 
have  killed  them.  Then  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  must  send  and  find  you.'* 

"  It  was  wonderful  that  the  boy  should  know 
me  so  easily,"  I  answered.  "  How  did  you  describe 
me?" 

She  hung  her  head,  and  I  saw  the  colour  mount 
from  neck  to  brow.     "  I  told  the  boy  to  look  for  a 


204  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

man  with  the  mark  of  a  blow  across  his  face,"  she 
whispered  ;  and  then,  before  I  could  prevent  her, 
even  had  I  wished,  she  had  put  her  arms  about  my 
neck  and  had  drawn  my  head  down,  and  was  kissing 
me  passionately  on  the  mark  itself.  "  That's  to  heal 
it — and  that — and  that — and  that !  "  she  whispered. 

We  were  both  more  compMDsed  presently,  and  were 
seated  side  by  side  on  the  old  bench  inside  the  hut. 
We  had  no  fear  of  being  surprised  by  anyone  ;  the 
side  of  the  chalk-pit  went  up  sheer  behind  the  hut, 
and  from  the  edge  of  it  all  was  open  country.  Before 
us,  as  I  have  said,  stretched  the  chalk-pit  itself,  and 
the  wood,  and  beyond  that  the  grounds  of  the  house. 
So  we  sat  contentedly,  and  looked  into  each  other's 
eyes,  and  said  what  we  wanted  to  say. 

"  It  came  up)on  me  suddenly,"  began  Debora, 
"  this  morning  when  I  turned  and  saw  Dr.  Just  on 
his  knees,  holding  his  wrist.  I  seemed  to  know 
instinctively  that  you  had  shot  him.  I  knew,  dear, 
that  you  would  not  run  away,  and  I  had  time  before 
they  sent  for  me  to  make  up  my  mind  what  to  do. 
I  had  not  quite  realised  what  he  had  meant  to 
do.  I  did  not  think  he  would  be  daring  enough  to 
shoot  me  in  that  fashion.  But  I  am  glad,  for 
your  sake,  that  you  did  not  kill  him." 

"  So  am  I — now,"  I  replied.  "  And  you  do 
beheve,  my  dearest  girl,  that  he  has  really  tried  on 
these  three  occasions  to  take  your  Hfe  ?  " 

"  I  know  it,"  she  answered,  with  a  Httle  shiver. 
"  But  it  is  for  the  last  time.  See  " — she  placed  her 
hands  in  mine,  and  looked  fearlessly  into  my  eyes — 
"  for  the  future  you  shall  look  after  me — you  shall 
take  care  of  me.     Is  that  too  bold  a  thing  to  say  ?  " 

I  drew  her  close  to  me.  "  No,  Debora  mine,"  I 
whispered,  "  because  I  love  you.  I  am  what  you 
called  me — a  thing  without  a  name,  but  in  my  heart 
I  am  honest ;  in  my  heart  I  love  the  name  that  has 
been  given  me,  becauseby  that  you  first  knew  me." 


THE  SKIRTS  OF  HAPPINESS.        205 

I  told  her  of  my  plans :  that  we  should  go  away 
then  and  there,  and  that  for  that  night  I  would  give 
her  the  room  I  had  taken  at  the  inn,  and  would  find 
a  lodging  in  another  place.  Then,  quite  early,  before 
anyone  we  need  fear  was  awake,  we  would  start  off 
into  the  world,  on  some  impossible  mission  of  making 
a  fortune,  and  living  happily  for  ever  afterwards. 

"  But  you  forget,  John  dear — I  have  a  fortune 
already,"  she  reminded  me.  "  That  belongs  to  me — 
that  we  must  get." 

I  was  troubled  at  the  thought  of  that,  troubled 
lest  she  might  believe,  even  for  one  fleeting  moment, 
that  I  set  that  fortune  as  of  greater  value  than  her- 
self. I  was  about  to  speak  of  it  when  she  suddenly 
turned  to  me,  and  began  to  speak  with  the  deepest 
earnestness  of  quite  another  matter. 

"  There  is  something  I  must  say  to  you — now, 
before  we  leave  this  place,"  she  said.  "  I  want  first 
of  all  to  tell  you  that  I  never  loved  Gregory  Penning- 
ton ;  he  was  only  my  dear  friend — my  brother.'* 

"  I  am  glad,"  I  answered  simply. 

"  And  I  want  to  tell  you  now  that  I  am  absolutely 
certain  in  my  own  mind  that  the  boy  never  killed 
himself." 

I  was  so  startled  that  for  a  moment  I  could  not 
answer  her.  She  glanced  out  of  the  door  of  the  hut, 
as  though  fearing  that  even  in  that  place  she  might 
be  overheard,  and  then  went  on  speaking  at  a 
great  rate  : 

"  It  was  the  last  thing  he  would  have  done  ;  there 
was  no  reason  for  it  at  all.  He  was  happy,  because 
he  had  always  the  mistaken  hope  that  he  might 
persuade  me  to  love  him.  On  the  very  night  of  his 
death — the  night  when  you  came  there — he,  too,  had 
tried  to  persuade  me  to  leave  the  house,  and  go  away 
with  him  ;  like  yourself,  he  believed  that  I  was  not 
safe  with  Dr.  Just.  Do  you  believe  for  a  moment 
that,  having  said  that  to  me,  he  would  walk  into 


2o6  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

the  house  and  put  a  rope  about  his  neck  ?  No,  I 
won't  believe  it !  " 

"  But,  my  darling,  how  else  could  he  have  died  ?  " 
I  asked. 

She  answered  me  quite  solemnly,  and  with  the 
same  deep  earnestness  I  had  heard  in  her  tones  before. 
"  He  was  killed — murdered — by  Dr.  Just !  " 

"  But  why  ?  "  I  asked  stupidly. 

"  For  the  same  reason  that  would  prompt  the  man 
to  seek  your  death,  if  he  could,"  she  said.  "  Bardolph 
Just  knew  that  Gregory  Pennington  wanted  to  get 
me  to  go  away ;  Gregory  probably  told  him  so  that 
night.  If  I  went  away  and  married  anyone,  my 
fortune  went  with  me,  and  it  is  my  horrible  fortune 
that  has  come  near  to  losing  me  my  hfe.  I  know,  as 
surely  as  if  I  had  seen  it  done,  that  the  doctor  killed 
Gregory  Pennington.  That  he  hanged  him  after- 
wards, to  give  colour  to  the  idea  of  suicide,  I  quite 
beheve  ;  that  would  account  for  his  anxiety  to  let 
you  change  places  with  the  dead  man." 

"  Another  thought  occurs  to  me,"  I  said,  after  a 
pause.  "  Poor  Gregory  Pennington's  servant — the 
man  Capper — must  have  seen  what  happened  ;  the 
shock  of  it  has  left  his  mind  a  blank." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Debora  slowly,  "  I  wonder  if 
Capper  will  ever  speak  ! '' 

That  thought  had  been  in  my  mind  too,  but  I  had 
been  too  startled  at  what  I  had  heard  to  speak  of  it. 
We  left  the  matter  where  it  was,  and  as  the  twilight 
was  now  coming  on,  came  out  of  the  hut  and  took 
our  way  by  a  circuitous  route  back  towards  the 
village.  I  took  the  girl  to  the  inn,  and  left  her  in 
charge  of  the  kindly  landlady,  giving  the  woman 
instructions  that  under  no  circumstances  was  she  to 
let  anyone  know  that  the  girl  was  there.  I  think 
the  landlady  scented  a  runaway  match,  for  she  smiled 
and  nodded,  and  put  a  finger  on  her  lips  in  token  of 
silence. 


THE  SKIRTS  OF   HAPPINESS.       207 

Nothing  happened,  however,  during  that  night ; 
and  in  the  morning  quite  early  Debora  stepped  out 
of  the  little  inn  into  the  village  street,  and  we  went 
off  happily  together  to  the  railway  station.  There, 
by  an  early  market  train,  we  got  to  London,  coming 
to  it  just  as  all  the  people  were  pouring  into  the 
busy  city  for  the  day.  I  took  Debora  to  a  little, 
old-fashioned  hotel  that  I  had  heard  of  near  the 
Charterhouse,  and  left  her  there  while  I  set  off  on  a 
mission  of  my  own.  I  had  determined  that,  before 
ever  I  saw  my  uncle,  or  availed  myself  of  his  promise 
to  look  after  the  girl,  I  would  go  again  to  that 
solitary  house  in  which  Gregory  Pennington  had 
died,  and  would  find  the  man  Capper.  For  now  I 
had  the  threads  of  the  thing  strongly  in  my  fingers  ; 
I  knew  from  what  point  to  start,  and  I  could  put 
certain  questions  to  Capper  that  he  might  be  able 
to  answer. 

I  came  to  the  house  soon  after  mid-day,  and 
opened  the  gate  in  the  fence  and  went  in.  Lest  I 
should  be  refused  admission  for  any  reason,  I  deter- 
mined that  I  would,  if  possible,  slip  into  the  house 
by  the  back  way  ;  and  I  made  my  way  cautiously 
round  there.  So  it  happened  that  I  came  in  sight 
of  that  open  window,  on  the  window-seat  of  which 
I  had  left  Mr.  George  Rabbit  reclining  while  he  kept 
guard  over  the  little  grey-headed  man  called  Capper. 
And  I  was  in  time  to  see  a  curious  scene  enacted 
before  my  eyes  at  that  very  window,  just  as  though 
it  had  been  a  scene  in  some  play.  I  was  hidden 
among  the  trees,  so  that  no  one  saw  me,  but  I  could 
both  see  and  hear  distinctly. 

Standing  with  his  back  to  the  window,  and  with 
his  arms  folded,  was  George  Rabbit,  and  his  atti- 
tude was  evidently  one  of  defiance.  Leaning  against 
the  side  of  the  window-frame,  watching  him,  and 
glancing  also  at  someone  else  within  the  room,  stood 
Capper,  with  nervous  fingers  plucking  at  his  lips, 


2o8  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

and  with  that  vacant  smile  upon  his  face.     The  man 
Rabbit  was  speaking. 

"  I  know  too  much  to  be  turned  aht,  or  to  be 
told  to  do  this  or  to  do  that.  I'm  much  too  fly 
for  that,  guv'nor,  an'  so  I  tell  yer.  Money's  my 
game,  'an  money  I  mean  to  'ave." 

The  voice  that  replied,  to  my  very  great  surprise, 
was  the  voice  of  Bardolph  Just.  "  We'll  see  about 
that,  you  dog  !  "  he  shouted.  And  with  that  I  ran 
round  at  once  through  the  back  door,  into  the 
house,  and  made  for  the  room. 

I  darted  in,  in  time  to  see  the  doctor  with  a 
heavy  stick  raised  in  his  right  hand  ;  he  was  in  the 
very  act  of  bringing  it  down  with  all  his  force,  in 
a  very  passion  of  rage,  on  the  head  of  George  Rabbit. 
The  man  put  up  his  arm  in  time  to  save  his  head, 
and  drew  back  with  a  cry  of  pain,  and  stopped  dead 
on  seeing  me.  The  doctor  swung  round,  too,  and 
lowered  the  stick. 

But  the  strangest  thing  of  all  was  the  sight  of 
the  man  Capper.  As  that  blow  had  fallen,  his  eyes 
had  been  fixed  upon  the  doctor  ;  and  I  had  seen  a 
great  change  come  suddenly  over  his  face.  It  was 
as  if  the  man  had  been  turned  into  another  being, 
so  strangely  had  the  face  lighted  up.  He  gave 
what  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  scream,  and 
leapt  straight  for  the  doctor.  As  the  doctor  swung 
about  at  the  sound,  the  man  Capper  caught  him  by 
the  throat,  and  held  on,  and  swayed  about  with  him, 
and  seemed  to  be  striving  to  choke  him. 

Murder  !  "  he  shrieked,  and  again  yet  louder, 
"  Murder  !  " 


CHAPTER    XL 

UNCLE   ZABDIEL   IN   PIOUS   MOOD. 

Dr.  Bardolph  Just,  big,  powerful  man  though  he 
was,  seemed  practically  helpless  in  the  grasp  of 
William  Capper,  who  hung  on  to  him,  and  worried 
him  as  some  small  terrier  might  worry  a  dog  of 
larger  size.  Moreover,  the  doctor  was  hampered 
with  his  broken  wrist ;  while  George  Rabbit  and 
myself,  for  the  matter  of  that,  were  so  thunderstruck 
by  the  sudden  onslaught  of  that  mild,  quiet,  Uttle 
creature,  who  had  hitherto  seemed  so  harmless,  that 
we  stood  staring  and  doing  nothing.  And  the 
doctor  battled  with  his  one  free  arm,  and  shouted 
to  us  for  help. 

"  Pull  him  off,  can't  you  ?  "  he  shouted.  "  Devil 
take  the  man  !  what  is  he  at  ?  Let  go,  I  say ;  do 
you  want  to  kill  me  ?  " 

By  that  time  I  had  recovered  my  senses  so  far  as 
to  fling  myself  upon  Capper,  and  to  drag  him  off  by 
main  force.  So  soon  as  I  had  got  hold  of  him,  he 
seemed  to  collapse  in  the  strangest  way — dropped 
into  my  arms,  and  shuddered,  and  stared  from  one 
to  the  other  of  us,  as  though  awakening  from  some 
terrible  nightmare.  His  teeth  were  chattering,  and 
he  looked  wildly  round,  as  though  wondering  what 
had  been  happening. 

The  doctor  was  arranging  his  collar  and  tie,  and 
209  o 


210  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

looking  amazedly  at  Capp>er.  "  What's  the  matter 
with  the  fellow  r  "  he  panted.  "  What  set  him  off 
like  that  ?  "  He  stamped  his  foot,  and  looked  at 
the  trembling  man.  "  Answer  me — you  !  What 
roused  you  like  that  ?  " 

Capper  shook  his  head  in  a  dull  way ;  then  pressed 
the  palms  of  his  hands  to  his  foreheadf.  "  I — I  don't 
know,"  he  answered,  in  something  of  the  same 
fashion  in  which  I  had  always  heard  him  answer 
questions  ;  "  I  didn't  mean " 

His  voice  trailed  off,  and  he  stood  there,  a  droop- 
ing,' pathetic  figure,  staring  at  the  floor.  For  my 
part,  I  could  not  take  my  eyes  from  the  man.  I 
found  myself  wondering  whether  that  outburst  had 
been  the  mere  frenzy  of  a  moment,  or  whether 
behind  it  lay  something  I  did  not  then  understand. 
In  the  silence  that  had  fallen  upon  us  the  doctor 
looked  at  the  man  in  a  queer,  puzzled  way ;  I 
thought  he  seemed  to  be  asking  himself  the  same 
questions  that  were  in  my  own  mind.  After  a 
moment  or  two  he  turned  his  glance  resentfully  on 
me,  seeming  to  become  aware,  for  the  first  time,  of 
my  presence. 

*'  And  what  brings  you  here  ?  "  he  demanded. 

I  was  at  a  loss  how  to  answer  him.  I  had  had 
a  vague  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  see  Capper 
alone,  or,  at  all  events,  only  in  the  company  of  George 
Rabbit  ;  I  could  not  now  declare  my  intention  of 
questioning  the  man.  I  resorted  to  subterfuge  ;  I 
shrugged  my  shoulders  and  made  what  reply  I  could. 

"  What  is  a  poor  wretch  to  do  who  has  no  home, 
no  money,  and  no  prospects  ?  You  turn  me  out  of 
one  place,  so  I  come  to  the  other." 

"  Well,  you  can  leave  this  one,  too,"  he  replied 
sourly.  "  How  did  you  get  back  from  Essex  ?  Did 
you  tramp  ?  " 

I  saw  at  once  that  he  must  have  left  the  place  and 
come  to  London  on  the  previous  day  ;  it  was  obvious 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL  IN  PIOUS  MOOD.    211 

that  he  knew  nothing  of  Debora's  disappearance. 
Nor  had  he  yet  discovered  the  theft  of  that  old- 
fashioned  watch.  He  could  have  no  suspicion 
that  I  had  money  in  my  pockets.  I  answered  as 
carelessly  as  I  could. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  tramped  most  of  the  way.  I 
should  not  have  come  in  now,  but  that  I  saw  some 
trouble  going  on  with  Rabbit  here,  and  thought 
I  might  be  of  use." 

"  I  can  look  after  meself,  thank  you  for  nothink," 
retorted  Mr.  Rabbit  politely.  "  Seems  to  me  that 
I'm  given  all  the  dirty  work  to  do,  an'  I  don't  git 
nuffink  but  thumps  for  it.  If  it  'adn't  bin  fer  that 
plucky  httle  chap  there,  I  shouldn't  'ave  stood  much 
chamce,"  he  added,  scowling  at  the  doctor.  "  He 
went  for  you  a  fair  treat,  guv'nor." 

"  You  must  have  made  him  precious  fond  of 
you,  to  take  your  part  like  that,"  said  the  doctor, 
with  a  glance  at  Capper.  "  Did  he  think  I  was 
going  to  kill  you  ?  " 

I  saw  that  Capper  was  standing  in  the  old  atti- 
tude, with  his  hands  hanging  beside  him,  and  his 
eyes  cast  to  the  floor  ;  then  I  had  a  curious  feeling 
that  he  was  hstening.  So  still  was  he,  and  so  meek 
and  broken,  that  it  seemed  incredible  that  but 
a  minute  or  two  before  he  had  been  tearing  Uke  a 
demon  at  the  throat  of  the  doctor.  Now,  while  he 
stood  there,  he  suddenly  began  to  speak,  in  a  quiet, 
level  voice,  but  little  raised  above  a  whisper. 

"  I  hope,  sir,  that  you  won't  send  me  away,"  he 
said.  "  I  iforgot  myself ;  I  wouldn't  harm  you  for 
the  world,  sir.  If  you  will  let  me  stay — if  you  will 
let  me  keep  near  you — if  I  might  even  be  your 
servant  ?  I  don't  want  to  be  sent  away  from 
you,  sir." 

All  this  without  raising  his  head,  and  with  the  air 
of  a  shamed  boy  pleading  for  forgiveness.  It  was 
the  more  pitiful  because  of  the  meekness  of  the 


212  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

figure,  and  of  the  thin  grey  hair  that  covered  the 
man's  head.  To  do  him  justice,  the  doctor  behaved 
magnanimously. 

"  Well,  we'll  say  no  more  about  it,  Capper,"  he 
repUed.  "  Perhaps  you're  not  quite  yourself.  We'll 
overlook  it.  For  the  rest,  you  shall  remain  here,  if 
you  behave  yourself.  You  seem  a  good,  faithful  sort 
of  fellow,  but  you  mustn't  fly  into  passions  because 
rogues  like  this  get  what  they  deserve."  He  pointed 
sternly  to  George  Rabbit. 

"  Rogues  !  "  Mr.  Rabbit  looked  properly  indig- 
nant, and  lurched  forward  from  the  window  towards 
the  doctor.  "  I  ain't  so  sure  as  you've  put  that 
boot  on  the  right  leg,  guv'nor,"  he  said.  "  I've  'ad 
enough  of  this  'ere — this  keepin'  me  mouf  shut,  an' 
not  gettin'  anyfink  for  it.  Wot's  the  good  of  five 
quid — you  can  on'y  dream  abaht  it  w'en  it's  gorn. 
I'm  goin'  to  take  wot  I  know  w'ere  I  shall  git  sum- 
mink  for  it — w'ere  I  shall  be  paid  'andsome,  an' 
patted  on  the  back,  an'  told  I'm  a  good  boy.  I'm 
a  honest  man — that's  wot  I  am  ;  an'  I've  'ad  enough 
of  seein'  jail-birds  walking  about  in  good  clobber, 
an'  'ighly  respectable  gents  givin'  'em  shelter,  an' 
payin'  me  not  'alf  enough  not  to  blab.  Yus,  Mr. 
Norton  'Yde,  it's  you  what  I'm  talkin'  about — an' 
'ere  goes  to  make  an  endin'  of  it !  " 

Before  anyone  could  stop  him  he  had  made  a 
run  for  the  window,  and  had  vaulted  over  the  sill, 
and  was  gone.  I  made  a  step  to  go  after  him,  but 
the  doctor  detained  me  with  a  gesture. 

"  It's  no  use ;  if  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
speak  you  can't  stop  him.  Take  my  advice,  and 
keep  away  from  here,  and  away  from  Green  Bam, 
too.  There's  a  chance,  of  course,  that  the  man  will 
say  nothing  ;  he  may  come  whining  back  here,  to 
try  and  get  money  out  of  me.  In  any  case,  Mr. 
Norton  Hyde,  I've  had  enough  of  the  business  ; 
you  can  shift  for  yourself.     It  may  interest  you  to 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL  IN   PIOUS   MOOD.    213 

know  that  I  am  winding  up  my  affairs,  and  I'm 
going  abroad.  And  in  this  mstance  I  shall  not  go 
alone." 

I  could  afford  not  to  notice  that  sneer,  because 
I  knew  that  I  held  the  winning  hand,  and  that 
Debora  was  mine.  So  I  made  no  answer  ;  I  knew 
that  there  were  cards  I  could  play  when  the  time 
came — cards  of  which  he  knew  nothing.  My  only 
doubt  was  as  to  the  man  Capper  ;  because,  if  Debora's 
suspicions  were  true,  it  was  vitally  necessary  that 
we  should  get  hold  of  the  man,  and  should  question 
him.  More  than  that,  I  knew  that  Debora  had  in 
her  the  spirit  to  move  heaven  and  earth  over  the 
matter  of  her  dead  friend,  Gregory  Pennington,  to 
discover  the  manner  of  his  death. 

Yet  here  was  William  Capper,  for  some  strange 
reason,  swearing  devotion  to  the  doctor,  and  beg- 
ging to  be  allowed  to  remain  with  him.  Even  if  I 
could  get  hold  of  the  man,  I  knew  that  in  his  present 
state  of  mind  I  could  do  no  good  with  him  ;  he 
might  in  all  innocence  go  to  the  doctor,  and  tell  him 
what  my  questions  had  been.  There  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  leave  the  matter  alone,  and  to  return 
to  Debora.  Accordingly  I  took  my  leave,  if  such 
a  phrase  can  be  used  to  describe  my  going. 

"  I  shan't  trouble  you  again,"  I  said  to  Bardolph 
Just.  "  For  your  own  sake,  I  think  you  will  do 
your  best  to  ensure  that  the  secret  of  Gregory 
Pennington's  death  is  kept."  I  glanced  quickly  at 
the  man  Capper  as  I  spoke  ;  but  my  words  seemed 
to  have  no  effect  upon  him,  save  that  once  again  I 
thought  he  seemed  to  be  listening,  and  that,  too, 
with  some  intentness.  But  I  felt,  even  in  that,  that 
I  might  be  wrong. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  snapped  the 
doctor,  turning  upon  me  in  answer  to  my  remark. 

"  You  told  me  once  that  you  were  anxious  to 
keep  the  matter  a  secret,  in  order  to  avoid  giving 


214  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

pain,  and  to  prevent  any  scandal  touching  your 
house,"  I  answered  steadily.  "  What  other  mean- 
ing should  I  have  ?  " 

"  None,  of  course,"  he  answered,  and  looked 
at  me  broodingly  for  a  moment,  as  though  striving 
to  see  behind  my  words.  "  However,  in  that  matter 
you  are  right  ;  I  don't  want  that  business  all  raked 
over  again.  For  both  our  sakes,  you'd  better  keep 
out  of  the  way  of  Mr.  George  Rabbit." 

There  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  and  without 
any  formal  words  I  turned  and  walked  out  of  the 
house  by  the  way  I  had  come.  I  felt  that  I  had 
finished  with  Dr.  Bardolph  Just ;  I  could  afford  to 
laugh  at  him,  and  could  leave  him  to  settle  matters 
with  George  Rabbit. 

I  went  back  to  that  hotel  near  the  Charterhouse 
in  which  I  had  left  Debora  ;  there  were  many  things 
about  which  I  must  talk  to  her.  In  the  first  place, 
we  had  to  consider  the  great  question  of  ways  and 
means  ;  above  all,  we  had  to  remember — or  perhaps 
I  should  say  that  /  had  to  remember,  for  she  was 
utterly  tnistful  of  me — that  she  was  in  my  hands, 
and  that  I  had  to  be  careful  of  her  until  such  time 
as  I  could  make  her  my  wife.  I  had  a  sort  of  feeling 
that  I  could  not  go  on  in  this  indefinite  way,  leaving 
her  in  hotels  and  such-like  places.  Besides,  I  felt 
absolutely  certain  that  the  one  person  to  whom  in 
my  dilemma  I  must  apply  was  my  Uncle  Zabdiel,  for 
had  I  not  already  prepared  him  for  ber  coming  ? 

While  I  had  no  great  faith  in  Uncle  Zabdiel,  I  yet 
felt  that,  from  sheer  dread  of  me,  he  would  hesitate 
before  playing  tricks.  In  his  eyes  I  was  a  most 
abandoned  villain,  capable  of  anything ;  he  had 
hanging  over  him  that  threat  of  mine  to  kill  him 
— a  threat  which  would  remain  a  threat  only,  but 
a  very  powerful  deterrent  if  he  had  any  hopes  of 
betraying  me. 

This  scheme  I  now  laid  before  Debora,  telling  her 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL   IN  PIOUS   MOOD.    215 

the  pros  and  cons  of  it  all,  and  trying  to  induce  her 
to  see  it  as  I  saw  it.  There  was  but  one  flaw  in  it, 
and  that  was  that  Martha  Leach  had  been  to  my 
uncle,  and  would  therefore  know  where  he  was  to 
be  found.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  I  felt  that  that 
made  for  safety,  because  the  very  daring  of  the 
scheme  gave  it  the  greatest  chance  of  success.  No 
one  would  dream  that  I  should  go  back  to  the  house 
that  had  seen  the  beginning  of  all  my  misfortunes, 
still  less  would  anyone  dream  of  looking  for  Debora 
Matchwick  there. 

"  You  see,  my  dearest  girl,"  I  pointed  out  to 
Debora,  "  my  money  won't  last  for  ever  ;  already  it 
is  dwindhng  alarmingly.  I  see  no  prospect  of  getting 
any  more  at  present,  unless  I  hold  horses,  or  sell 
matches  in  the  street.  More  than  that,  I  believe 
that  I  have  my  uncle  so  much  under  control,  and  so 
much  in  dread  of  me,  that  he  will  do  nothing  against 
me  ;  and  that  great  house  of  his  is  a  very  warren  of 
old  rooms,  in  which  you  can  safely  hide.  More  thau 
that,  I  think  there  is  a  prospect  that  Uncle  Zabdiel 
will  help  me  ;  he  seemed  to  regard  me  in  quite 
another  light  when  I  saw  him  recently." 

In  all  this  it  will  be  seen,  I  fear,  that  my  original 
simplicity  had  not  entirely  been  knocked  out  of  me 
by  rough  contact  with  the  world  ;  it  will  also  be  seen 
that  I  had  a  colossal  belief  in  my  own  powers  of 
persuasion,  moral  and  otherwise.  Perhaps  also  it  is 
scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  Debora  very 
willingly  believed  in  me,  and  seemed  to  regard  my 
uncle  as  a  man  who  might  be  won  round  to  a  better 
belief  in  the  goodness  of  human  nature.  I  did  not 
contradict  that  suggestion,  but  I  had  my  doubts. 

I  thought  it  best,  however,  to  let  Uncle  Zabdiel 
know  of  his  intended  visitor  ;  it  would  never  do  to 
take  him  by  surprise.  With  many  promises  of 
speedy  return  I  set  off  then  and  there  for  that  house 
near  Barnet,  wherein  so  many  years  of  mv  own  life 


2i6  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

had  been  passed.  I  was  feeling  more  cheerful  tiian 
I  had  done  for  many  a  long  day  ;  I  began  to  reaUse 
tliat  perhaps,  after  all,  my  troubles  were  coming  to 
an  end,  and  some  small  measure  of  happiness  was  to 
be  mine.  Moreover,  despite  all  my  difficulties,  it  has 
to  be  remembered  that  I  was  young  and  in  love ;  and, 
I  suppose,  under  those  circumstances  mere  outside 
troubles  sit  lightly  on  one's  shoulders. 

I  rang  at  the  bell  for  a  long  time  before  anyone 
answered,  and  then  it  was  the  grim  old  woman  who 
came  in  by  the  day  to  look  after  my  uncle  who 
answered  it.  I  feared  for  a  moment  that  she  might 
recognise  me,  but  she  was  evidently  one  of  those 
people  to  whom  the  mere  duties  of  the  day  are  every- 
thing ;  it  is  probable  that  had  I  been  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  in  full  rig  she  would  have  taken  no 
notice  of  my  appearance.  I  asked  for  Mr.  Blowfield, 
and  was  left  in  the  dark  hall  while  she  went  in  search 
of  him.     I  gave  my  name  as  John  New. 

In  a  minute  or  two  she  came  back,  and  beckoned 
to  me  in  a  spiritless  way,  and  without  speaking.  I 
went  at  once  by  the  way  I  knew  so  well  into  my 
uncle's  room — that  room  that  was  half  sitting-room 
and  half  office,  and  there  discovered  him  standing 
before  the  empty  fireplace  waiting  for  me.  He  was 
not  alone  in  the  room  ;  that  unfortunate  youth, 
Andrew  Ferkoe,  was  seated  in  my  old  place,  at  my 
old  desk,  scribbling  away  as  if  for  dear  life.  Even 
before  my  uncle  spoke  I  intercepted  a  furtive  look 
out  of  the  tail  of  the  youth's  eye ;  I  strove  to  give 
him  a  warning  glance  in  response. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  New,"  said  my  uncle,  with 
a  touch  of  sarcasm  in  his  tone.  "  Glad  to  see  you, 
I'm  sure.  Do  you  object  to  the  presence  of  my 
clerk  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  indifference  to  me,  Mr.  Blow- 
field,"  I  replied.  "  Of  course  I  should  have  preferred 
to  have  had  a  private  interview  with  you,  but  if  any 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL   IN   PIOUS   MOOD.    217 

words  of  mine  on  a  previous  occasion  have  made 
you  cautious,  by  all  means  let  him  remain." 

I  saw  that  the  old  man  was  absolutely  afraid  of 
me  ;  I  guessed  that  he  meant  to  keep  Andrew  Ferkoe 
there,  to  save  even  a  threat  of  violence.  At  the 
same  time  I  was  relieved  to  see  what  I  thought  was 
a  new  and  more  kindly  light  in  his  eyes.  I  felt  that 
he  might,  after  all,  prove  to  have  a  heart  of  flesh 
and  blood,  and  that  Debora  might  move  it. 

"  Then  you  can  go  on  with  your  work,  Ferkoe," 
snapped  my  uncle  ;  and  the  boy,  whose  pen  had 
been  straying,  started  violently,  and  went  on 
writing  againj 

It  was  curious  to  note  during  our  interview  how 
frequently  Andrew  Ferkoe's  pen  stopped,  and  how  his 
eyes  slowly  turned  round  to  feast  on  me,  and  how, 
at  a  movement  from  his  master,  he  brought  the  pen 
back  to  its  proper  place  and  started  writing  again. 
I  became  quite  fascinated  with  watching  him. 

"  Sit  down,  my  dear  New,  sit  down,"  said  my 
uncle  smoothly.  "  Tell  me  what  I  can  do  for  you  ; 
I've  been  expecting  to  see  you." 

I  sat  down,  and  asked  permission  to  smoke.  My 
uncle  grunted  in  response,  and  frowned  ;  but  I  took 
the  grunt  for  permission,  and  Ughted  a  cigar.  The 
old  man  gave  a  plaintive  cough,  as  though  suggest- 
ing that  this  was  a  martyrdom  to  which  he 
must  submit,  and  subsided  into  his  own  chair. 
I   answered  his  question. 

"  I  want  you  to  do  what  you  promised  to  do, 
Mr.  Blowfield,"  I  said. 

"  I  promised  under  threats,"  he  broke  in  grudg- 
ingly. "  And  a  promise  extorted  under  threats 
isn't  binding." 

"  This  one's  got  to  be,"  I  intimated  sharply.  "  I 
want  the  young  lady  of  whom  I  spoke  to  come 
here,  and  to  find  a  refuge  in  this  house  ;  I  want  her 
to  come  to-day.     I  have  not  the  means  to  keep 


2i8  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

her,  and  she  is  in  danger  of  being  traced  by  those 
who  are  her  enemies.  I  have  chosen  you,"  I  added, 
with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  I  could  not  avoid,  "  be- 
cause I  know  your  kindness  of  heart,  and  I  know 
how  eager  you  are  to  do  me  a  service." 

He  grinned  a  httle  maliciously,  then  chuckled 
softly,  and  rubbed  his  bony  hands  together.  "  Very 
well,  call  it  a  bargain,"  he  said.  "  After  all,  I'm 
c[uite  pleased,  my  dear  boy,  to  be  able  to  help  you  ; 
if  I  seem  to  have  a  gruff  exterior,  it's  only  because 
I  find  so  many  people  trying  to  get  the  better 
of  me." 

I  saw  Andrew  Ferkoe  slowly  raise  his  head,  and 
stare  at  my  uncle  with  a  dropping  jaw,  as  though 
he  had  suddenly  discovered  a  ghost.  My  uncle, 
happening  to  catch  him  at  it,  brought  his  fist  down 
with  a  bang  uf>on  the  desk  that  caused  the  youth 
to  spring  an  inch  or  two  from  his  stool,  and  to 
resume  his  writing  in  such  a  scared  fashion  that  I 
am  convinced  he  must  have  written  anything  that 
first  came  into  his  mind. 

*'  And  what  the  devil  is  it  to  do  with  you  ?  " 
roared  my  uncle,  quite  in  his  old  fashion.  What 
do  you  think  I  pay  you  for,  and  feed  you  for,  and  give 
you  comfortable  lodging  for  ?  One  of  these  days, 
Ferkoe,  I'll  turn  you  out  into  the  world,  and  let 
you  starve.  Or  I'll  have  you  locked  up,  as  I  once 
had  a  graceless  nephew  of  mine  locked  up,"  he 
added,  with  a  contortion  of  his  face  in  my  direction 
that  I  imagine  to  have  been  intended  for  a  wink. 

The  boy  stole  a  look  at  me,  and  essayed  a  grin 
on  his  own  account ;  evidently  he  congratulated 
himself  on  his  secret  knowledge  of  who  I  really  was. 
Uncle  Zabdiel,  having  relieved  himself  with  his  out- 
burst, now  turned  to  me  again,  still  keeping  up 
that  pretty  fiction  of  my  being  but  a  casual  acquaint- 
ance, knowing  nothing  of  any  graceless  nephew  who 
had  been  very  properly  punished  in  the  past. 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL  IN   PIOUS  MOOD.    219 

"  He's  a  thankless  dog,  this  clerk  of  mine,"  he 
growled,  with  a  vicious  look  at  the  boy.  "  He 
must  have  starved  but  for  me,  and  see  what  thanks 
I  get.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  I  shall  be  very  pleased 
■—delighted,  in  fact — to  welcome  the  young  lady 
here.  I've  got  a  soft  corner  in  my  heart  for  every- 
body, Mr.  New,  if  I'm  only  treated  fairly.  I  don't 
like  girls  as  a  rule  ;  I've  no  place  for  'em  in  my  life  ; 
but  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  make  the  best  of  it. 
You  see,  I  haven't  very  long  to  live — not  as  long 
as  I  should  like  ;  and  I  understand  you've  got  to 
be  so  very  particular  in  doing  the  right  sort  of 
thing  towards  the  end.  Not  that  I've  done  any- 
thing particularly  to  be  ashamed  of,"  he  added 
hastily,  "  but  a  great  many  people  have  made  it 
their  business  to  speak  ill  of  me." 

"  It's  a  censorious  world,"  I  reminded  him. 

"  It  is,  my  dear  boy,  it  is,"  he  replied.  "  Be- 
sides," he  went  on,  lowering  his  voice  a  little,  "  I've 
dreamt  three  nights  running  that  I  went  up  into 
my  old  room,  and  saw  myself  lying  dead — not  dead 
as  you  described — but  all  broken  and  bloody."  He 
shuddered,  and  sucked  in  his  breath  hard  for  a 
moment,  and  glanced  behind  him. 

I  did  not  mind  encouraging  that  thought,  be- 
cause it  was  all  to  my  advantage  ;  I  knew  that 
unless  he  remained  properly  frightened  there  would 
be  small  chance  of  his  keeping  faith  with  me  in  the 
matter  of  Debora.  Therefore  I  said  nothing  now. 
But  once  again  I  saw  the  youth  at  the  desk  raise 
his  head,  and  stare  at  the  old  man  in  that  startled 
fashion,  and  then  drop  his  eyes  suddenly  to  his 
work. 

"  Not  a  pleasant  dream — not  a  pleasant  dream, 
by  any  means,"  muttered  my  uncle,  getting  up 
and  striding  about.  "  I  lay  on  the  floor,  with  the 
bed  clothes  pulled  across  me,  as  if  to  hide  me. 
And  I  was  all  broken  and  bloody  !  " 


220  DEAD  MAN*S  LOVE. 

"  And  you've  dreamed  that  three  times  ?  "  I 
asked  mercilessly.     "  That's  unlucky." 

"  Why,  what  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  whispered  in  a 
panic,  as  he  stopped  and  looked  round  at  me. 

"  Oh  !  they  say  if  you  dream  a  thing  three  times, 
it's  bound  to  come  true,"  I  said. 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  "  he  ejaculated.  "  Dreams 
go  always  by  contraries  ;  everybody  knows  that,  I 
shouldn't  have  mentioned  the  thing,  only  I  can't 
somehow  get  it  out  of  my  head.  It  was  just  as 
though  I  were  another  person  ;  I  stood  there  look- 
ing down  at  myself.  There,  there,  let's  forget  it. 
In  all  probability,  if  I  do  this  thing  for  you,  out  of 
pure  kindness  of  heart,  I  shall  live  quite  a  long 
time,  and  die  naturally  a  good  many  years  hence. 
Now,  when  is  the  young  lady  coming  ?  " 

He  seemed  so  perturbed  by  the  recollection  of 
his  dream  that  he  listened  only  in  a  dazed  fashion 
while  I  told  him  that  I  intended  to  bring  her  there 
that  day ;  he  might  expect  her  some  time  that 
evening.  Andrew  Ferkoe  seemed  interested  at  the 
news  that  anyone  was  coming  to  that  dreary  house  ; 
he  kept  on  glancing  up  at  me  while  I  spoke.  And 
it  was  necessary,  too,  for  me  to  say  all  over  again, 
because  my  uncle  had  evidently  not  been  listening. 

"  Yes,  yes,  yes,  I  understand  !  "  he  said,  rousing 
himself  at  last.  "  Besides,  it'll  be  better  to  have 
someone  else  in  the  house — safer  for  me,  you  under- 
stand. Nobody  will  dare  come  to  the  place  if  they 
know  that  I'm  not  a  lonely  old  man,  with  only  a 
fool  of  a  boy  in  the  house  with  him — a  boy  that 
you  can't  wake  for  love  or  money." 

I  suppressed  a  grin.  My  experience  of  Andrew 
Ferkoe  had  been  that  he  woke  rather  too  easily. 
I  rose  to  take  my  leave,  and  Uncle  Zabdiel,  in  his 
anxiety  to  please  me,  came  out  into  the  hall  with 
me,  and  seemed  inclined  to  detain  me  even  longer. 

"  I'll  be  very  good  to  her,"  he  said  ;  then,  sud- 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL  IN  PIOUS  MOOD.    221 

denly  breaking  off,  he  gripped  my  arm,  and  pointed 
up  the  dark,  uncarpeted  stairs  behind  us.  "  You 
remember  my  old  room,"  he  whispered.  "  Well,  I 
saw  the  room,  and  everything  in  it,  quite  clearly, 
three  separate  times,  and  I  lying  there '" 

"  You're  thinking  too  much  about  it,"  I  broke 
in  hastily.  For  his  face  was  ghastly.  "  You  be 
kind  to  Debora,  and  you'll  find  she'll  soon  laugh 
some  of  your  fears  out  of  you.  Good-bye  for  the 
present ;  you'll  see  us  both  later  in  the  day." 

He  shook  my  hand  quite  earnestly,  and  let  me 
out  of  the  house.  I  saw  him,  as  I  had  seen  him 
before,  standing  in  the  doorway,  peering  out  at 
me  ;  in  that  moment  I  felt  a  little  sorry  for  him. 
So  much  he  had  missed — so  much  he  had  lost  or 
never  known  ;  and  now,  towards  the  end  of  his 
days,  he  was  racked  by  fears  of  that  death  that  he 
knew  must  be  approaching  rapidly. 

I  started  back  for  London,  meaning  to  fetch 
Debora  to  my  uncle's  house  that  night.  I  was 
fortunate  enough  not  to  have  to  wait  long  at  the 
station  for  a  train,  and  I  presently  found  myself  in 
an  empty  compartment.  I  was  tired  out,  and 
excited  with  the  events  of  the  day.  I  settled 
myself  in  a  corner,  and  closed  my  eyes,  as  the  train 
sped  on  its  way.  And  presently,  while  I  sat  there, 
I  became  aware  of  a  most  extraordinary  commotion 
going  on  in  the  compartment  on  the  other  side  of 
the  partition  against  which  I  leaned.  There  was  a 
noise  as  of  the  stamping  of  feet,  and  shouts  and 
cries — altogether  a  hideous  uproar. 

I  thought  at  first  that  it  must  be  some  drunken 
men,  uproarious  after  a  debauch  ;  but  I  presently 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  some  severe  struggle 
was  going  on  in  the  next  compartment ;  I  distinctly 
heard  cries  for  help.  I  leaned  out  of  the  window, 
in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  see  into  the 
next  carriage ;  then,  on  an  impulse,  I  opened  the 


222  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

door,  and  got  out  on  to  the  footboard.  It  was  not 
a  difificult  matter,  because  the  train  was  travelling 
comparatively  slow.  I  closed  the  door  of  the  com- 
partment I  had  been  in,  and  stepped  along  the 
footboard  to  the  next.  Clinging  on  there,  I  looked 
in,  and  beheld  an  extraordinary  sight. 

Two  men  were  battling  fiercely  in  the  carriage  ; 
and  I  saw  that  the  further  door  of  the  carriage  was 
open.  As  the  men  wrenched  and  tugged  at  each 
other,  I  could  not  for  a  moment  or  two  see  their 
faces  ;  but  I  could  make  out  clearly  that  the  smaller 
man  of  the  two  was  working  strenuously  to  force 
the  other  man  out  on  to  the  line  through  the  open 
door.  I  saw,  too,  that  the  bigger  man  appeared  to 
be  using  only  one  arm  to  defend  himself ;  and  it 
was  suddenly  borne  in  upon  me  that  I  knew  with 
certainty  who  the  two  men  were.  I  tore  open  the 
door  on  my  side,  and  slipped  into  the  carriage,  and 
shut  the  door  again.  Then  I  flung  myself  upon 
the  smaller  man,  who  was  no  other  than  William 
Capper. 

As  it  happened,  I  was  only  just  in  time.  The 
other  man  had  been  driven  to  the  open  door,  until 
he  was  absolutely  half  in  and  half  out  ;  he  had 
dug  his  nails  into  the  cushions  on  one  side,  in  a 
desperate  effort  to  save  himself  from  falling.  And 
as  I  pulled  Capper  of!,  and  flung  him  to  the  other 
end  of  the  carriage,  I  naturally  pulled  his  intended 
victim  with  him — and  that  intended  victim  was 
Dr.  Bardolph  Just ! 

How  narrow  his  escape  had  been  was  brought 
home  to  me  the  next  moment,  when,  as  I  leaned 
out  to  close  the  door,  another  train  tore  past  on 
the  next  track,  going  in  the  opposite  direction.  I 
banged  the  door,  and  stood  against  it,  and  looked 
at  the  two  men. 

The  doctor  had  sunk  down  into  a  corner,  and 
was  nursing  his  wounded  arm,  and  staring  in  a 


UNCLE  2ABDIEL  IN    PIOUS  xMOOD.    223 

frightened  way  at  Capper.  Capper,  I  noticed,  had 
suddenly  lost  all  his  frenzy,  precisely  in  the  same 
fashion  as  he  had  lost  it  on  that  other  occasion 
when  he  had  attacked  the  same  man.  He  now  sat 
in  the  corner  into  which  I  had  flung  him,  with  his 
head  bowed,  and  his  hands  plucking  at  his  lips, 
exactly  in  the  attitude  of  a  naughty  boy  who  had 
been  caught  in  some  wickedness  and  stopped.  He 
glanced  at  me  furtively,  but  said  nothing, 

"  He — he  tried — tried  to  kill  me  !  "  panted  the 
doctor.  "  He  tried  —  tried  to  throw  me  out  of 
the  train  !     You  saw  for  yourself  !  " 

"  But  why  ?  "  I  asked.     "  What  had  you  done  ? 

"  Nothing — absolutely  nothing  !  "  he  stammered, 
striving  to  rearrange  his  dress  and  to  smooth  his 
hair.  "  He  suddenly  said  something — and  then 
opened  the  door — and  sprang  at  me.'" 

"  But  what  did  he  say  ?  "  I  insisted.  And  it  was 
curious  that  we  both  spoke  of  the  man  at  the  other 
end  of  the  carriage  as  someone  not  responsible  for 
what  he  had  done. 

"  Never  mind  what  he  said  ! "  exclaimed  the 
doctor  pettishly.  "  You  just  came  in  time.  He'd 
have  had  me  out  in  another  moment." 

In  the  surprise  of  his  escape,  the  doctor  did  not 
seem  astonished  at  finding  me  there  so  opportunely 
he  merely  looked  at  the  dejected  Capper  in  that 
frightened    way,    and    kept    the    greatest    possible 
distance  from  him. 

"  Why  do  you  take  the  man  about  with  you,  if 
he's  liable  to  these  fits  ?  "  I  asked, 

"  I  don't  take  him  about !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  He 
follows  me.  I  can't  get  rid  of  him.  He  sticks  to 
my  heels  like  a  dog.  I  don't  like  it  ;  one  of  these 
days  it  may  happen  that  there's  no  one  there  in 
time — and  that'll  be  the  end  of  the  matter."  All 
this  in  a  whisper,  as  he  leaned  forward  towards 
where  I  sat. 


224  i^l^AD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  Give  him  the  slip,"  I  suggested  ;  and  now  I 
watched  the  doctor's  face  intently. 

"  Don't  I  tell  you  I  can't,"  he  snapped  at  me. 
"  Besides,  I  don't  want  to  lose  sight  of  him  ;  I'm 
sorry  for  the  poor  old  fellow.  He'd  only  drift  into 
some  madhouse  or  workhouse  infirmary.  I  don't 
know  what  to  do." 

The  doctor  was  dabbling  nervously  at  his  fore- 
head with  a  handkerchief  ;  he  was  in  a  very  sweat  of 
terror.  And  at  the  further  end  of  the  carriage — 
huddled  up  there,  listening— sat  the  little  grey- 
haired  man,  like  some  grim  Fate  that  must  dog  the 
steps  of  the  other  man  to  an  end  which  no  one 
could  see.  A  sudden  ghastly  theory  had  entered 
into  my  mind  ;  I  determined  to  probe  the  matter 
a  little  further. 

"  You  suggest,"  I  said  in  a  whisper,  "  that  he 
has  twice  tned  to  kill  you  ;  surely  it  is  an  easy 
matter  to  give  him  into  the  hands  of  the  police  ? 
If  he's  insane,  he'll  be  properly  looked  after  ;  if  he  is 
not,  he  will  be  properly  punished.  And  you  will 
be  safe." 

Bardolph  Just  looked  out  of  the  window,  and 
slowly  shook  his  head.  "  You  don't  understand  ; 
I  can't  do  that,"  he  replied.  "  I  can't  explain  ; 
there's  a  reason." 

We  left  the  matter  at  that,  and  presently,  when 
the  train  drew  into  the  London  station,  we  all  got 
out.  The  doctor  and  I  walked  away  side  by  side, 
and  I  knew  that  Capper  was  following.  I  knew 
something  else,  too — that  I  must  get  away  as  quickly 
as  possible,  back  to  Debora.  For  I  realised  that  as 
yet  the  doctor  had  not  been  informed  that  Debora 
was  missing  from  Green  Bam. 

"  Well,  you  don't  want  me  any  more,"  I  said  to 
him,  stopping  and  turning  about.  "  I'll  take  my 
leave." 

"  Look  here  !  "  he  exclaimed,  suddenly  seizing  me 


UNCLE  2ABD1EL  IN   PIOUS  MOOD.    225 

with  his  uninjured  hand,  and  giving  a  sideways 
glance  at  Capper,  "I'll  forget  everything  and  forgive 
everything  if  you'll  only  stick  to  me.  I  don't  want 
to  be  left  alone  with  this  man." 

"  I  have  work  of  my  own  to  do,"  I  answered  him, 
"  and  ray  way  is  not  your  way.  Pull  yourself 
together,  man  ;  you're  in  London,  among  crowds. 
What  harm  can  a  feeble  old  creature  Uke  that  do 
to  you  ?  " 

"  You've  seen  for  yourself — twice,"  he  whispered. 
"  I'll  do  anything  you  like — pay  you  anything 
you  like  !  " 

I  shook  myself  free.  "  It's  impossible,"  I  said  ; 
and  a  moment  later  I  was  walking  rapidly  away  ;  I 
had  no  desire  that  the  doctor  should  follow  me. 

Looking  back,  I  saw  the  man  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling  going  at  a  great  rate  across  the  station,  and  as 
he  went  he  glanced  back  over  his  shoulder.  And 
always  behind  him,  going  at  a  little  trot  to  keep  up 
with  him,  went  William  Capper,  not  to  be  shaken  off. 

I  found  Debora  awaiting  me,  but  I  said  nothing 
to  her  of  my  startling  encounter  in  the  train.  I 
only  told  her  that  all  was  ready  for  her  reception  at 
the  house  of  Uncle  Zabdiel,  and  we  set  off  at  once, 
after  settling  the  score  at  the  hotel.  Our  journey 
was  without  incident,  and  in  due  course  I  rang  the 
bell  at  my  uncle's  gate,  and  saw  the  door  open 
presently  to  receive  the  girl.  I  went  in  with  her  for 
the  necessary  introductions. 

To  my  delight  I  found  Uncle  Zabdiel  rubbing  his 
hands,  and  evidently  pleased  to  have  her  there.  He 
went  so  far  as  to  imprint  a  cold  salute  on  her  cheek, 
and  even  to  touch  her  under  her  soft  rounded  chin 
with  his  bony  finger. 

"  It's  a  pretty  bird  you've  captured,"  he  said, 
grimacing  at  me.     "  I'll  take  care  of  her,  never  fear." 

I  thanked  him,  and  then  told  him  of  my  intention 
to  seek  a  lodging  elsewhere.     He  seemed  surprised, 

p 


226  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

as  did  Debora.  I  merely  told  him  that  I  had 
business  to  attend  to,  and  that  I  could  not  very 
well  be  so  far  from  London  for  the  next  few  days 
at  least.  My  real  reason  was,  however,  a  very 
different  one. 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  pursue  this  matter  of 
Capper  to  the  very  end  ;  the  thing  fascinated  me, 
and  I  coidd  not  let  it  alone.  So  that,  after  I  had 
seen  the  dark  house  swallow  up  my  darling,  I  went 
off,  designing  to  find  a  lodging  for  myself  between 
that  house  and  the  one  in  which  Bardolph  Just  hved. 
It  was  very  late,  but  I  was  not  over  particular  as 
to  where  I  slept,  and  I  knew  that  1  could  easily  find 
a  room. 

But  I  was  restless,  and  had  many  things  to  think 
about ;  so  that  it  ended  finally  in  my  walking  that 
long  distance  back  to  the  doctor's  house,  and  finding 
myself,  something  to  my  surprise,  outside  its  gates 
at  a  little  after  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  All 
the  house  was  silent,  and  the  windows  darkened. 
I  was  turning  away,  when  I  almost  stumbled  over 
someone  sitting  on  the  high  bank  at  the  side  of 
the  road  opposite  the  gate.  As  I  drew  back 
with  a  nmttered  apology  the  man  looked  up,  and  1 
knew  him. 

It  was  William  Capper.  In  the  very  instant  of  his 
raising  his  head  I  had  seen  a  quick  bright  look  of 
intelligence  come  over  his  face,  but  now  the  mask  he 
habitually  wore  seemed  to  be  drawn  down  over  his 
features,  and  he  smiled  in  that  vacuous  way  I  had 
before  noted. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  He's  turned  me  out,"  he  said,  in  the  old  feeble 
voice.  "  I  don't  know  why."  I  saw  his  plucking 
fingers  go  up  to  his  lips  again,  as  he  feebly  shook 
his  head. 

"  Yes,  you  do,"  I  said  sternly.  "  Come,  Capper, 
you've  nothing  to  fear  from  me  ;  why  don't  you 


UNCLE  ZABDIEL  IN   PIOUS   MOOD.    227 

S{>eak  the  truth  ?  You've  twice  tried  to  kill  the 
man.     Wliat  is  your  reason  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head,  and  smiled  at  me  in  the  same 
vacant  fashion.  "  I  don't  know — I  don't  under- 
stand," he  said.  "  So  much  that  I've  forgotten — 
so  much  that  I  can't  remember,  and  never  shall 
remember.     Something  snapped — here." 

He  touched  his  forehead,  and  shook  his  head  in 
that  forlorn  way  ;  and  presently  sank  down  on  the 
bank  again,  and  put  his  head  in  his  hands,  and 
seemed  to  go  to  sleep. 

When  I  came  away  at  last,  in  despair  of  finding 
out  anything  from  him,  he  was  sitting  in  the  same 
attitude,  and  might  have  appeared,  to  any  casual 
observer,  as  a  poor,  feeble  old  creature  with  a  clouded 
mind.  Yet  I  knew  with  certainty  that  something  had 
happened  to  the  man,  and  that  he  was  alive  and 
alert  ;  I  knew,  too,  that  grimly  enough,  and  for  some 
reason  unknown  to  me,  he  had  set  out  to  kill  Dr. 
Bardolph  Just.     And  I  knew  that  he  would  succeed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

AN    APPOINTMENT    WITH    DEATH. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that,  by  the  move- 
ments of  the  various  players  in  the  game  in  which, 
in  a  sense,  I  was  merely  a  pawn,  I  had  been  placed 
in  such  a  position  that  I  was  to  an  extent  no  longer 
master  of  my  own  actions.  I  had  been  compelled, 
by  the  turn  of  events,  to  place  Debora  in  the  hands 
of  my  uncle,  and  I  knew  that  at  any  moment  now 
news  might  come  from  Green  Bam  that  the  girl  was 
gone.  I  marvelled  that  that  news  had  not  arrived 
ere  this. 

Upon  that  latter  point  the  only  conjecture  I  could 
arrive  at  was  that  the  woman  Martha  Leach  had  not 
yet  dared  to  send  her  news  to  Bardolph  Just,  and  in 
that  act  of  cowardice  she  would  probably  be  sup- 
ported by  Harvey  Scoff  old.  Moreover,  I  knew  that 
the  doctor  was  too  fully  occupied  with  his  own  fears 
concerning  the  man  Capper  to  give  much  attention 
to  anything  else. 

Nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did  I  feel  that  I  had 
advanced  matters  as  rapidly  as  I  could  have  wished. 
True,  I  had  got  Debora  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
doctor  and  Harvey  Scoff  old  ;  true  again,  I  had 
hidden  her  in  the  house  of  Uncle  Zabdiel.  But 
there  the  matter  stood,  and  I  was  relying,  in  a  sense, 
solely  on  the  help  of  one  whom  every  instinct  taiight 

2^8 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.    229 

me  to  distrust  :  I  mean,  of  course,  Zabdiel  Blowfield. 
Moreover,  I  was  no  further  advanced  in  regard  to 
any  future  status  on  my  own  account.  I  had  no 
prospect  of  making  my  way  in  the  world,  or  of  doing 
anything  to  help  the  girl  I  loved.  It  seemed  as 
though  I  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  great  tangle,  twist- 
ing this  way  and  that  in  my  efforts  to  free  myself, 
and  getting  more  hopelessly  involved  with  each 
movement. 

In  my  doubts  and  perplexities  I  turned  naturally 
to  Debora  ;  I  may  be  said  to  have  haunted  that 
house  wherein  she  lived.  Uncle  Zabdiel  appeared 
to  be  very  friendly,  and  for  two  days  I  came  and 
went  as  I  liked,  seeing  Debora  often.  And  even  in 
that  short  time  I  came  to  see  that  the  deadly  old 
house  was  having  its  effect  upon  the  girl,  just  as  it 
had  upon  every  one  that  came  within  its  walls  ;  she 
began  to  droop,  and  to  wear  a  frightened  look,  and 
not  all  my  reassurances  would  bring  any  brightness 
into  her  eyes. 

"  I'm  afraid  of  the  place,"  she  whispered  the 
second  day,  clinging  to  me.  "  That  tall  boy  creeps 
about  like  a  ghost " 

"  And  looks  like  one,"  I  broke  in  with  a  laugh. 
"  He's  the  best  fellow  in  the  world,  is  Andrew 
Ferkoe  ;  you've  nothing  to  fear  from  him." 

"  And  Mr.  Blowfield  :  he  looks  at  me  so  strangely, 
and  is  altogether  so  queer,"  went  on  Debora.  "  Last 
night  he  begged  me  to  sit  up  with  him  in  his  study 
until  quite  late — kept  on  asking  me  if  I  didn't  hear 
this  noise  and  that,  and  was  I  sure  that  nothing 
stirred  in  the  shadows  in  the  corner  ?  I  felt  at  last 
as  if  I  should  go  mad  if  I  wasn't  allowed  to  scream." 

"  My  darling  girl,  it  won't  be  very  long  now  before 
I'm  able  to  take  you  away,"  I  said,  more  hopefully 
than  I  felt.  "  My  uncle's  a  good  fellow,  in  his  way, 
but  he  has  lived  a  lonely  life  so  long  that  he's  not 
like  other  men.    Havp  a  little  more  patience,  Debora 


230  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

dear  ;  the  sun  will  shine  upon  us  both  before  long, 
and  we  shall  come  out  of  the  shadows." 

"  But  there  is  something  else,"  she  said.  "  I  was 
in  my  room  last  night,  at  the  top  of  the  house 
here,  sitting  in  the  dark,  thinking.  Everything  was 
very  silent  ;  it  was  as  if  all  the  world  lay  asleep. 
And  then  I  saw  a  curious  thing — something  that 
frightened  me." 

'"  What  was  it  ?  "  I  asked  quickly 

"  On  the  other  side  of  the  road  facing  the  house 
is  a  long  wall,"  she  began  in  a  whisper,  "  and  just 
outside  the  gate,  as  you  know,  is  a  lamp-post.  From 
where  I  sat  in  my  window  I  could  see  that  the  wall 
was  lit  up,  and  across  it  again  and  again,  while  I 
watched  for  more  than  an  hour,  went  two  shadows." 

"  What  sort  of  shadows  ?  "  I  asked,  as  lightly  as 
I  could  ;   yet  I'll  own  I  was  startled. 

"  Shadows  of  men,"  she  replied.  "  It  was  evident 
that  they  were  walking  up  and  down  in  the  road, 
watching  the  liouse.  The  shadows  were  curious, 
because  one  was  a  very  big  one,  walking  stiffly, 
while  the  other  was  small,  and  seemed  to  creep  along 
behind  the  first.  And  I  know  whose  the  shadows 
were — at  least,  I  know  one  of  them." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  know  the  one  man  was  Dr.  Just,"  she  answered 
me  confidently,  with  a  little  quick  nod. 

"  My  dearest  girl,  how  could  you  possibly  know 
that  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Because  the  man  walked  with  an  easy  stride, 
and  yet  his  shadow  showed  only  one  arm  sv\nnging," 
she  said.  "  Don't  you  see  what  I  mean  ?  The  other 
arm  was  fastened  to  him  in  some  way,  held  close 
against  him." 

I  whistled  softly,  and  looked  into  her  eyes.  "  I 
see,"  I  said  ;  "  that  would  be  the  sling.  Now,  what 
in  the  world  has  brought  him  here  ?  " 

"  He's  come  to  find  you,"  said  Debora  quickly. 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.     231 

"  He  will  have  heard  from  Green  Barn  that  I  am 
gone,  and  that  you  are  gone  ;  he  will  guess  that  if 
he  finds  you  he  may  find  me.  The  reason  for  his 
waiting  outside  would  be  that  he  might  intercept 
you  going  in  or  coming  out." 

"  There's  something  in  that,"  I  admitted.  "  How- 
ever, of  one  thing  I  am  certain  in  my  own  mind. 
Uncle  Zabdiel  won't  give  you  up,  nor  will  he  admit 
the  man  into  the  house  if  he  can  avoid  it.  I'm  not 
taking  any  stand  by  Uncle  Zabdiel's  integrity,"  I 
added.  "  I  am  only  certain  that  he  has  a  wholesome 
dread  of  me,  and  will  not  offend  me.  Rest  easy  ; 
nothing  will  happen  to  you,  my  darling." 

Just  before  my  departure  I  was  met  by  my  uncle 
at  the  door  of  his  study.  He  mysteriously  beckoned 
me  in,  and  closed  the  door.  Then,  something  to  my 
surprise,  he  buttonholed  me,  and  pulled  me  further 
into  the  room,  and  stared  up  into  my  face  with  a 
pathetic  expression  of  entreaty  in  his  eyes. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  My  dear  boy — my  only  nephew — I  want  you  to 
believe  that  I'm  being  honest  with  you  as  far  as  I 
can  ;  I  don't  want  you  to  judge  me  hastily,"  he  began. 
"  People  get  such  wrong  notions  in  their  heads,  and 
you  miglit  hear  something  that  would  bring  you 
rushing  back  here,  and  would  leave  me  no  time  for 
explanation.  Will  you  believe  what  I'm  going  to 
tell  you  ?  " 

He  was  fumbling  me  all  over.  I  saw  that  he  had 
been  troubled  by  something,  and  that  his  dread  of 
me  had  been  strongly  revived.  I  was  playing  for 
too  great  a  stake  then  to  make  the  blunder  of  being 
smooth  with  him.  I  frowned  and  folded  my  arms, 
and  looked  down  at  him  sternly. 

"  Come,  out  with  it  !  "  I  said. 

"  There,  now  you're  beginning  to  lose  your  temper 
before  ever  I've  begun  to  say  a  word,"  he  said, 
backing  away  from  me.     "  Do  be  reasonable  !  '* 


232  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I  don't  know  what  the  word  is  yet,"  I  answered 
him.     "  Let's  hear  it." 

"  Well,  to  put  it  briefly,  that  woman  Leach  has 
been  here."  He  blurted  out  the  words,  and  stood 
looking  at  me  as  though  wondering  how  I  should 
take  the  news. 

"  Well,  what  then  ? "  I  asked  him  gravely. 
"  What  did  you  do  ?  " 

"  Everything  you  would  have  wished  me  to  do," 
he  replied  quickly.  "  I  told  her  nothing  ;  I  sent  her 
away  again." 

"  Did  she  enquire  about  me,  or  about  Debora  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"About  you  first,  and  then  about  Debora,". he 
whispered.  "  But,  ^en,  I  put  her  off  the  scent.  I 
was  sharp  with  per.  I  asked  what  sort  of  man  she 
took  me  to  ^,  to  admit  any  minx  to  my  house. 
And  she  went  away,  knowing  nothing." 

"  That's  good^^  and  I'm  very  grateful  to  you,"  I 
assured  hipv^ow  feeling  that  I  could  give  him  all 
my  confidence.  "  They'll  leave  no  stone  unturned 
to  get  hold  of  the  girl." 

"  They  ?  "     He  looked  at  me  questioningly. 

"  Yes,  the  woman  as  well  as  her  master,  I  have 
just  heard  that  Dr.  Just  has  been  seen  hanging  about 
outside  the  house  late  last  night,  with  another  man." 

I  saw  his  face  blanch,  I  saw  him  moisten  his  lips 
with  his  tongue  and  clutch  with  one  feeble  hand  at 
the  back  of  his  chair.  I  took  no  particular  notice  of 
that,  although  long  after  I  wished  I  had  done  ;  I 
knew  how  easily  startled  he  was. 

"  You  say  that  two  men — two  men  watched  this 
house  last  night,  very  late  ?  "  he  muttered. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  carelessly.  "  And  one  of  them 
at  least — this  Bardolph  Just — will  stick  at  nothing 
to  get  what  he  wants.  He's  of  the  sort  that  snaps 
his  fingers  at  a  small  matter  of  death." 

My  Uncle  Zabdiel  twisted  the  chair  round  with  a 


AN   APPOINTMENT  WITH   DEATH.     233 

nervous  movement,  and  sank  into  it.  I  saw  that  he 
was  trembhng  from  head  to  foot.  He  seemed  to  be 
brooding  heavily  upon  something.  Looking  at  him, 
I  caught  his  eyes  more  than  once  wandering  covertly 
in  my  direction. 

"  And  you  think  that  he  would  do  anything  to 
get  hold  of  this  girl  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  There  is  not  only  the  girl  to  be  considered  by 
him,  but  the  very  large  fortune  which  belongs  to  her, 
and  which  he  also  wishes  to  get  hold  of.  I  tell  you 
he  will  stick  at  nothing,"  I  assured  him  earnestly. 

"  He  will  stick  at  nothing  !  "  he  echoed,  drawing 
a  deep  breath. 

"  By  the  way,  Uncle  Zabdiel,  have  you  been 
troubled  with  that  dream  of  yours  again  ?  "  I  asked 
carelessly. 

To  my  surprise  he  started  to  his  feet  with  what  was 
almost  a  cry.  "  No,  no  !  why  should  I  dream  that 
again  ?  "  he  stammered,  staring  at  me.  "  Haven't  I 
tried  to  forget  it — haven't  I  persuaded  myself  that 
I  had  forgotten  it.  Oh,  dear  God  !  that  these  things 
should  be  sent  to  trouble  a  poor  old  man  who  has 
done  his  best  always  for  everybody  !  "  he  moaned. 
"  There,  there — go  away  ;  leave  me  alone  !  I  want 
time  to  think — or  rather  time  not  to  think." 

I  went  away  and  left  him,  closing  the  door 
after  me.  Just  as  I  reached  the  hall  door  I  came 
upon  that  tall  youth,  Andrew  Ferkoe.  He  grinned 
amiably.  A  sudden  thought  occurring  to  me,  I 
drew  him  aside,  and  whispered  to  him — 

"  Look  here,"  I  said,  "  I  believe  you're  a  friend  of 
mine,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  Rather  !  "  he  said.  "  You're  so  wonderful ; 
you've  seen  such  things,  and  done  such  things." 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  I  said  hastily.  "  I 
want  you  to  promise  to  come  to  me,  if  you  think 
Miss  Matchwick  is  in  any  danger,  or  if  you 
think  anyone  is  plotting  against  her.    See,  here  is 


234  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

my  address  " — 1  scribbled  it  on  a  scrap  of  paper  and 
thrust  it  into  his  hands — "  and  I  shall  rely  upon  you 
to  be  faithful,  to  her  as  well  as  to  me.     Will  you  ?  " 

He  seemed  quite  elated  at  his  commission.  "  Do 
you  really  trust  me  ?  "  he  asked  gleefully.  *'  I'd  do 
anything  for  you,  and  for  her.  1  feel  somehow  that 
I'm  getting  braver  and  stronger.  I  shan't  put  up 
much  longer  with  old  Blowfield's  bullying.  I  feel 
sometimes  when  I  look  at  liim  that  I  could  do 
murder  !  " 

I  laughed  as  I  went  out  of  the  house.  The  idea  of 
this  weak-kneed,  lanky  youth,  of  all  others,  "  doing 
murder  "  seemed  too  ridiculous.  I  went  on  my  way 
feeling  pretty  well  satisfied  with  the  turn  of  events, 
and  firmly  convinced  tliat  the  very  fears  under  which 
Uncle  Zabdiel  laboured  were  the  greatest  safeguard 
Debora  and  I  could  have.  Moreover,  I  had  gained 
one  other  friend  in  that  strange  house,  and  that  was 
Andrew  Ferkoc. 

My  lodging  was  in  a  httle  house  not  very  far,  as 
you  may  have  guessed,  from  that  house  belonging  to 
Uncle  Zabdiel  in  which  Debora  had  so  opportunely 
found  shelter.  On  this  particular  evening  I  was  in 
no  hurry  to  retire  to  the  one  little  room  I  had  rented. 
On  a  sudden  impulse  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  linger  a  little  while  in  the  neighbourhood,  and 
would  see,  if  possible,  for  myself  whether  or  not  those 
two  shadows  on  the  wall  really  belonged  to  the 
doctor  and  to  William  Capper.  So  I  took  up  my 
station  not  very  far  from  the  house,  but  in  a  position 
from  which  I  could  observe  it  easily  ;  and  there  I 
waited. 

I  will  not  describe  my  long  wait,  nor  the  shadows 
I  saw,  which  might  have  been  the  shadows  of  the 
doctor  and  Capper,  but  which  were  not.  I  was 
disappointed  fifty  times  at  least,  felt  my  heart  jump 
as  many  times  when  two  men,  or  even  one  man, 
came  an3rwhere  in  my  direction,  or  happened  by  the 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.     235 

merest  chance  to  glance  towards  that  house.  I  had 
not  fully  made  up  my  mind  what  to  do  should  either 
man  put  in  an  appearance,  and  indeed  I  was  saved 
the  trouble  of  putting  into  execution  any  plan  I 
might  have  evolved,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  no 
one  I  knew  came  near  the  house. 

Once,  it  is  true,  from  where  I  watched,  I  saw  an 
upper  window  open,  and  the  head  of  Uncle  Zabdiel, 
like  some  extremely  ugly  gargoyle,  obtrude  itself  into 
the  night.  I  guessed,  with  an  inward  chuckle,  that 
he  might  be  looking  for  those  shadows  for  which  I 
also  was  on  the  watch.  But  soon  afterwards  that 
window  was  closed,  and  the  house  was  wrapped  in 
silence  and  darkness.  I  kept  my  vigil  until  some- 
thing towards  three  in  the  morning,  and  then  went 
off  to  my  lodging.  In  five  minutes  I  was  undressed 
and  in  bed  ;  the  rest  was  a  dreamless  sleep. 

Lest  I  should  be  watched,  I  determined  that  I 
would  not  go  near  Zabdiel  Blowfield's  house  in  day- 
light, or  without  taking  due  precautions.  I  thought 
it  possible  that  the  woman  Martha  Leach  might  make 
a  further  attempt,  for  the  sake  of  her  master,  to 
discover  something  about  me  or  about  Debora.  I 
determined  that  I  would  not  play  into  their  hands. 
I  remembered  what  Bardolph  Just  had  said  about 
going  abroad  ;  I  had  great  hopes  that  he  might  carry 
that  into  effect,  and  so  rid  us  all  of  his  presence. 
Perhaps  in  a  saner  moment  I  reflected  that  he  was 
scarcely  the  type  of  man  to  give  up  the  game  so 
lightly ;  but  then  when  one  is  in  love  one  is  usually 
optimistic.  However,  there  was  nothing  for  it  but 
to  wait,  and  to  possess  my  soul  in  patience. 

I  was  taking  things  very  easily  indeed  that  evening, 
lounging  in  the  window  of  my  room,  and  smoking, 
and  looking  at  the  early  stars  that  were  peeping  out 
above  me,  when  I  became  aware  of  a  strange-looking 
figure  coming  slowly  up  the  deserted  little  street. 
Without    troubling   \'ery  much  about  it,  I  became 


236  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

interested  in  the  figure,  which  was  that  of  a  tall, 
ungainly  young  man,  whose  face  and  head,  from 
my  elevated  position,  were  hidden  by  a  hat  which 
appeared  to  be  many  sizes  too  large  for  him.  He 
was  craning  his  neck  this  way  and  that,  apparently 
looking  for  some  particular  house  ;  every  now  and 
then  he  referred  to  a  scrap  of  paper  which  he  held  in 
liis  fingers.  I  was  watching  him  idly,  when  all  at 
once  I  woke  from  my  half-dream  and  started  to  my 
feet  ;  with  my  hands  leaning  on  the  window-sill  I 
stared  down  at  him  intently. 

At  that  same  moment  he  happened  to  look  up 
towards  me  and  I  recognised  him.  It  was  Andrew 
Ferkoe.  I  waved  my  hand,  and  nodded  to  him,  and 
with  every  extravagant  sign  of  precaution  he  looked 
to  right  and  to  left,  and  then  came  to  the  door  of  the 
house.  I  ran  down  and  admitted  him  myself  ;  then 
I  took  him  up  to  my  room  before  f>ermitting  him  to 
say  a  word.  Once  in  the  room,  with  the  door  shut, 
I  saw  to  my  horror  that  he  was  shaking  from  head 
to  foot,  and  was  alternately  slapping  his  breast,  and 
striving  to  get  some  words  out. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Take  your 
time  about  it  ;  there's  nothing  to  get  excited  about." 

He  gasped  again  in  that  inarticulate  fashion  once 
or  twice  ;  then  he  blurted  out  his  message. 

"  She— she's  gone  !  " 

I  pushed  him  into  a  chair  and  stood  over  him, 
with  my  hands  on  my  hips,  striving  by  my  own 
steadiness  to  put  some  steadiness  into  him.  For  a 
time  he  only  moaned,  and  shook  his  head  and  gaped 
at  me,  but  at  last,  by  dint  of  threats  and  even  some 
coaxing,  I  got  his  story  out  of  him. 

"  Early  this  morning  old  Blowfield  sent  me  with  a 
telegram  addressed  to  a  Dr.  Just  ;  it  was  written  out 
on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  I  had  to  copy  it  at  the 
post-office.  It  was  addressed  to  Dr.  Just  at  a  house 
in  Highgate," 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.    237 

"  Well,  well,  what  did  it  say  ?  "  I  asked 
impatiently. 

"  I'm  coming  to  it  as  fast  as  I  can,"  said  Andrew 
Ferkoe  resentfully.  "  You  forget  I  ain't  used  to 
this  sort  of  thing.  It  simply  said,  '  Come  at  once  ; 
can  give  you  news  of  the  runaway,'  and  it  was  signed 
'  Z.  Blowfield,'  with  the  address." 

I  strangled  an  oath  in  my  throat  ;  I  vowed  that 
Uncle  Zabdiel  should  pay  dearly  for  his  treachery. 
"  And  what  happened  after  that  ?  "  I  demanded, 

"  About  mid-day  a  tall,  dark  man  drove  up  in  a 
great  hurry  and  asked  for  old  Blowfield — at  least,  he 
asked  for  Mr.  Blowfield,"  went  on  Ferkoe.  "  I  was 
turned  out  of  the  room,  but  they  talked  together 
for  a  long  time.  Then  the  bell  was  rung,  and  I  was 
told  to  go  and  find  the  young  lady,  and  tell  her  she 
was  wanted.  After  she'd  gone  into  the  room  I  did 
what  I'd  never  done  before,"  he  added  with  a 
chuckle.     "  I  Ustened  outside." 

"  Good  lad  !  "  I  murmured. 

He  went  on  again,  seemingly  elated  at  my  praise 
of  him.  "  They  kept  on  talking,  all  three  of  them, 
and  I  heard  the  young  lady  say  over  and  over  again, 
'  I  won't !  I  won't !  '  and  the  dark  man  kept  on 
threatening,  and  saying  what  he  would  do,  and  old 
Blowfield  kept  on  telling  her  that  it  was  for  the  best, 
and  that  she'd  better  go  back,  though  I  don't  know 
in  the  least  where  he  meant  her  to  go.  The  door 
was  open  just  the  least  little  bit,  and  I  saw  and 
heard  everything,  because  old  Blowfield  would 
never  dream  that  I  should  dare  to  do  a  thing 
like  that." 

"  You're  very  slow  !  "  I  cried  impatiently.  "  Tell 
me  what  happened  then  ;  what  did  the  young  lady 
do  ?     Did  she  refuse  to  leave  the  house  ?  " 

"  Yes,  she  kept  on  saying  she  wouldn't.  And  I'm 
being  as  fast  as  I  can,  only  there's  such  a  lot  to  tell. 
I  should  get  on  faster  if  you  weren't  so  irnpatient," 


238  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  subdued  my  wrath  as  best  I  could.  I  decided 
to  let  him  go  on  in  his  own  fashion. 

"  And  then  the  funniest  thing  happened,"  he  said, 
sitting  upright  in  his  chair  in  his  excitement,  and 
staring  at  me  round-eyed.  "  The  dark  man — Dr. 
Just,  I  suppose — began  to  spread  out  his  hands — Hke 
this  " — he  made  a  curious  fluttering  movement  with 
his  hands  before  my  face,  so  grotesque  a  movement 
that  I  should  have  laughed  under  any  other  circum- 
stances— "  and  began  to  talk  in  a  very  low,  smooth 
voice  to  the  young  lady.  At  first  she  cried  out  to 
him  to  keep  away  from  her,  and  covered  up  her 
face  with  her  hands,  but  after  a  time  she  dropped 
the  hands  and  stared  at  him.  I  saw  her  drop  down 
into  a  chair  and  shut  her  eyes.  He  never  left  ofi 
talking ;  he  seemed  to  be  telling  her  something  she 
was  to  do.  He  spoke  so  softly  that  I  couldn't  catch 
everything,  but  he  said  something  about  a  carriage, 
and  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Then 
suddenly  he  clapped  his  hands,  and  she  jumped  up, 
and  looked  at  him  as  if  she  was  frightened," 

"  You  dolt !  "  I  shouted,  shaking  him.  "  This 
devilish  business  happened  at  mid-day,  and  here's 
night,  and  you've  only  just  arrived  to  tell  the  tale." 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault,"  he  whimpered.  "  You 
ought  to  know  what  that  house  is  like  ;  I'm  watched 
every  minute.  I  tried  over  and  over  again  to  slip 
out,  and  couldn't ;  I  only  managed  it,  as  it  was,  after 
it  got  dark.     I've  done  my  best.'' 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  I  said  penitently.  "  I'm 
quite  sure  you  have.  Now  tell  me  what  else 
happened." 

"  Dr.  Just  went  away,  and  the  young  lady  went 
off  to  her  room.  I  went  back  to  work,  and  old 
Blowfield  kept  on  walking  up  and  down  the  room, 
and  muttering  to  himself.  Once  he  stopped,  in 
order  to  ask  me  about  you.  He  wanted  to  know  if 
I'd  seen  you," 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.     239 

"  Yes,  I  should  think  he  would  want  to  know 
that !  "  I  muttered  between  my  teeth. 

"  He  said  if  you  came  near  the  house  I  wasn't  to 
let  you  in  ;  I  was  to  go  for  the  police,  or  do  some- 
thing else  to  keep  you  away.  Above  all,  I  was  to 
give  him  warning,  so  that  he  could  lock  himself  in 
somewhere." 

I  laughed  grimly.  I  knew  that  I  had  already 
secured  the  allegiance  of  this  poor  warder,  and  could 
get  at  my  man  when  I  wanted  to  do  so.  I  urged 
him  to  go  on  with  his  tale. 

"  Then,  just  as  four  o'clock  was  striking,  and  I 
was  working,  old  Blowfield  gave  me  an  awful  fright  ; 
he  suddenly  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder  and 
whispered  in  my  ear.  '  Do  you  hear  that  ?  '  he  said  ; 
and  I  wondered  what  he  meant.  And  then  I  heard 
someone  coming  downstairs,  singing  as  they  came." 

I  could  scarcely  contain  myself,  but  I  determined 
I  would  wait  for  the  end.  In  his  excitement  Andrew 
Ferkoe  had  risen  to  his  feet,  and  was  staring  at  me 
in  the  wildest  fashion. 

"  Old  Blowfield  went  to  the  door  and  opened  it, 
and  I  had  a  look  out,  too.  And  there  was  the  young 
lady,"  he  went  on,  lowering  his  voice,  "  going  along 
the  hall,  and  taking  not  the  slightest  notice  of  any- 
body. She  opened  the  door,  and  left  it  open  ;  she 
walked  across  the  garden  ;  she  opened  the  gate,  and 
left  that  open.  Old  Blowfield  and  me  walked  after 
her,  never  so  much  as  saying  a  word.  There  was 
a  carriage  waiting  at  the  gate,  and  she  got  into 
it  and  shut  the  door ;  then  the  carriage  drove 
away.  And  all  the  time  she  had  never  said  a  word. 
Old  Blowfield  laughed,  and  shut  the  door,  and  went 
back  to  his  room,  and  I  went  back  too.  And  that's 
the  end  of  it." 

I  sank  down  into  a  chair,  and  hid  my  face  in  my 
hands,  and  gave  myself  up  to  my  own  bitter 
thoughts.     What  power  had  I  against  such  arts  as 


240  t)EAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

these  ?  What  could  I  do,  when  a  man  could  so 
steal  the  very  soul  out  of  a  woman  and  make  her 
do  his  bidding  in  this  fashion  ?  What  might  not 
have  happened  in  all  these  hours  during  which  I, 
drugged  into  a  false  security,  had  stayed  in  this 
place,  doing  nothing  but  dream  dreams  }  I  sprang 
to  my  feet  at  last,  for  I  felt  that  this  was  no  time 
for  idle  dreaming.  The  time  had  come  for  action, 
and  I  would  step  now  into  the  matter,  with  no 
thought  for  myself,  or  for  what  might  happen  to 
me.  It  must  be  Debora  first,  and  Debora  always ; 
I  would  save  her,  if  I  dipped  my  hands  in  blood  to 
do  it. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  asked  Andrew, 
staring  at  me. 

"  I  don't  know  yet,"  I  answered  him.  "It 
depends  on  whether  I  can  get  what  I  want  by 
peaceful  means  ;  I'm  going  to  try  that  first.  After 
that,  I'm  going  to  surprise  certain  friends  of  ours — 
give  them  such  a  shaking-up  as  they'll  remember 
to  the  end  of  their  days." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  to  old  Blow- 
field  ?  "  he  asked  ;  and  I  thought  I  saw  in  liis  face 
that  he  would  relish  anything  that  might  happen 
to  his  master. 

'*  What  I'm  going  to  do  to  old  Blowfield,  as  you 
call  him,  won't  bear  thinking  about,"  I  said.  "  Now, 
I  don't  want  you  to  get  into  trouble  ;  you'd  better 
cut  off.  I'm  very  grateful  to  you  ;  I'm  sorry  if  I 
seemed  impatient.     Good-night ! '' 

He  gripped  my  hand,  and  went  downstairs.  I 
followed  him  and  let  him  out  into  the  silent  street ; 
saw  him  flutter  off  round  the  comer  Hke  a  long, 
awkward  ghost.  Then  I  closed  the  door  and  went 
upstairs  again. 

I  own  I  was  puzzled  what  to  do.  My  own  crude 
methods  had  failed  hitherto  ;  I  must,  if  possible, 
meet  subtlety  with  subtlety.    Of  what  use  was  it 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.     241 

for  me  to  induce  Debora  to  come  willingly  to  me, 
if  all  my  plans  could  be  upset  in  a  moment  by 
Dr.  Just,  as  they  had  been  this  day  ?  Yet  I  knew 
that  I  must  first  go  to  that  house  in  which  she  was 
imprisoned ;  my  business  with  Zabdiel  Blowfield 
could  wait,  I  told  myself  fiercely 

I  got  a  tram  down  to  Highgate,  cursing  its  slow- 
ness all  the  way  ;  and  so  at  last  stood  outside  the 
house,  not  having  yet  made  up  my  mind  what  to 
do.  I  opened  the  gate  cautiously,  and  went  into 
the  grounds.  I  saw  that  the  house,  so  far  as  the 
front,  at  least,  was  concerned,  was  in  darkness.  I 
knew  that  it  would  be  madness  to  attempt  to  obtain 
admittance  in  the  usual  fashion  ;  I  determined  to 
break  into  the  house,  as  I  had  done  once  before. 

I  was  on  the  very  point  of  selecting  my  window, 
when  I  heard  a  rustling  among  the  leaves  close  to 
me  ;  I  drew  back  and  waited.  There  came  into 
sight  out  of  the  shadows  William  Capper  ;  but  not 
the  William  Capper  I  seemed  to  have  known.  For 
this  man  stood  alert  and  ready,  and  the  face  I  saw 
in  the  light  of  the  stars  was  the  keen,  watchful  face 
I  had  surprised  before.  He  seemed  to  be  waiting 
for  something  ;  he,  too,  was  watching  the  house. 
Determined  to  put  the  matter  to  the  test,  I  stepped 
out  quickly  from  my  hiding-place  and  confronted 
him. 

The  instant  change  in  the  man  was  surprising  ; 
but  this  time  it  did  not  deceive  me,  I  gripped  the 
now  drooping  figure  by  the  shoulder  and  shook 
him.  He  looked  up  at  me  with  that  vacant  smile 
on  his  face,  but  said  nothing. 

'•  What's  the  game.  Capper  ?  "  I  asked  quickly 
in  a  whisper.  "  Why  are  you  pretending  you  don't 
understand  things,  and  can't  remember  things  ?  I 
hate  this  man  Just,  quite  as  much  as  you  do  ;  why 
won't  you  confide  in  me  ?  " 

For  a  moment  I  thought  he  was  going  to  do  so ; 

0 


242  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

he  kept  very  still  under  my  grip,  and  I  knew  that 
he  was  thinking  the  matter  over  carefully.  It  was 
almost  as  though  I  could  see  into  his  mind.  But  a 
moment  later  he  seemed  to  come  to  some  resolu- 
tion ;  he  looked  up  quickly,  and  shook  his  head, 
with  that  lost  look  again  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  don't  understand,"  he  whispered.  "  I  don't 
remember." 

"  Yes,  you  do,"  I  retorted  roughly.  "  You're  as 
sane  as  I  am  ;  and  you've  got  some  purpose  in  your 
mind — and  I  can  guess  what  it  is." 

"  You  frighten  me,  sir,"  he  said  in  a  whisper. 
"  I  am  old  and  feeble,  and  I  have  forgotten  so 
many  things.     Please  let  me  alone." 

He  did  it  so  well,  that  for  a  moment  I  believed 
that  I  had  not  seen  that  change  in  him  ;  at  all 
events,  I  saw  that  I  could  do  nothing  with  him, 
and  I  watched  him  as  he  drifted  away  among  the 
trees  and  was  lost  to  my  sight.  Then  I  turned  my 
attention  to  the  house. 

But  I  found  that  every  door  and  every  window 
was  strongly  fastened  and  shuttered  ;  evidently  they 
had  been  expecting  a  visit  from  me.  I  had  nothing 
with  which  I  could  effect  an  entrance,  so  that  I 
merely  raged  round  the  place,  in  a  futile  fashion,  in 
the  darkness,  wondering  what  I  should  do.  Every 
now  and  then  I  thought  I  caught  sight  of  the  man 
Capper,  dodging  about  in  the  shadows  ;  but  even  of 
that  I  could  not  be  sure.  At  last,  in  desf)eration,  I 
went  to  the  big  hall-door  and  boldly  rang  the  bell. 

I  waited  for  a  long  time,  while  I  heard  slight 
movements  within  the  house  ;  then  there  was  a 
whispering  behind  the  closed  door.  I  hadi  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  moment  that  door  was  opened  I 
would  force  my  way  in,  at  whatever  risk.  I  pre- 
pared to  rush  the  citadel  now,  by  drawing  back  a 
little,  where  no  light  could  reach  me  as  the  door 
was  opened,  so  that  I  could  force  anyone  who  had 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.    243 

answered  my  ringing  to  peer  out.  While  I  waited, 
I  was  certain  that  I  saw  Capper  waiting,  too,  a  few 
yards  away. 

My  ruse  succeeded.  The  door  was  opened  a 
little  way,  and  the  voice  of  Martha  Leach  demanded 
to  know  who  was  there  ;  then  there  was  more  whis- 
pering, and  the  door  was  opened  a  little  further, 
and  Martha  Leach  stepped  out  under  the  porch.  I 
made  one  leap  at  her,  and  caught  her  in  my  arms  ; 
and  before  she  quite  knew  what  was  happening,  had 
literally  rolled  with  her  into  the  hall,  keeping  a  tight 
clutch  of  her.  In  the  confusion  someone  slammed 
the  door,  and  I  put  my  back  against  it. 

I  saw  that  it  would  be  a  matter  of  three  to  one, 
at  the  least,  even  though  one  of  the  three  was  partly 
disabled.  The  doctor  had  backed  away  as  he  saw 
us  come  flying  in,  and  I  think  it  must  have  been 
Harvey  Scoffold  who  shut  the  door.  I  blurted  out 
at  once  what  I  had  to  say. 

"  There's  a  young  lady  here — Miss  Matchwick — 
detained  against  her  will.     Where  is  she  ?  " 

"  Turn,  that  fellow  out !  "  shouted  the  doctor. 
"  Two  of  you  ought  to  be  able  to  manage  him,  I 
should  think.     Turn  him  out  !  " 

Now,  it  is  a  most  undignified  thing  to  be  tackled 
by  a  woman  ;  yet  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  in  the 
rough  and  tumble  that  ensued,  Martha  Leach  did 
more  than  her  full  share.  Bardolph  Just  had  run 
back  into  the  house,  and  had  set  a  bell  ringing  ;  a 
couple  of  men-servants  came  rushing  up.  I  did  not 
want  to  hit  the  woman  ;  but  I  longed  for  one  blow 
at  Harvey  Scoffold,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  con- 
trived to  get  one  or  two  really  serviceable  ones  in 
on  his  rotund  person.  But  by  this  time,  while  we 
were  all  scrambling  about  together,  and  while  I 
was  raising  my  voice  in  repeated  shouts  of  "  Debora," 
in  the  hope  that  I  might  attract  her  attention,  the 
woman  had  literally  wound  herself  about  me,  so  that 


244  DEAD  MAN'S  L0\^. 

I  was  powerless.  The  door  was  pulled  open,  and  this 
time  we  tumbled  out  instead  of  in.  And  as  Martha 
dexterously  released  me  only  when  I  was  outside, 
and  contrived  to  trip  me  up  very  neatly  down  the 
steps,  she  was  inside  again,  and  the  door  closed, 
before  I  could  get  to  my  feet.  Then  I  heard  the 
bolts  shooting  into  place,  and  knew  that  the  victory 
was  with  them. 

I  had  a  mind  to  set  the  bell  ringing  again,  in  the 
hope  to  force  them  to  open  the  door.  But  I  had  the 
good  sense  to  understand  that  I  should  serve  no 
good  purpose  in  that  way  ;  I  should,  in  all  proba- 
bility, bring  some  night  policeman  down  upon  me, 
when  explanations  would  be  difficult.  For  after  all, 
on  the  face  of  it,  you  cannot  very  well  demand  that 
a  young  lady  shall  be  fetched  out  at  night  from  the 
house  of  a  highly-respectable  guardian  by  a  stranger 
who  can  give  no  really  good  account  of  himself. 
And  that,  as  you  will  acknowledge,  was  exactly  the 
position  of  affairs. 

Baffled,  I  went  away  again,  and  was  fortunate 
enough  to  be  able  to  get  back  to  Barnet  in  the  same 
fashion  as  before.  You  may  imagine  my  frame 
of  mind  by  the  time  I  got  to  Uncle  Zabdiel's 
house  ;  I  was  in  a  state  of  ungpvernable  fury.  I 
marched  into  the  garden,  and  rang  the  bell  violently, 
and  waited.  After  a  minute  or  two,  during  which 
I  had  repeated  the  summons,  I  heard  a  window 
raised  above  me,  and,  looking  up,  saw  Uncle  Zab- 
diel's wicked  old  head  looking  out.  All  about  me 
was  very  quiet,  for  the  house  stood  somewhat 
retired  from  an  unfrequented  road,  and  I  could 
hear  his  voice  distinctly. 

"  Wlio  is  it  ?     What  do  you  want  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  want  to  come  in,"  I  said,  stepping  back  a 
little  from  the  door  so  that  he  could  see  me.  "  You 
know  me,  Uncle  Zabdiel." 

*'  J  should  think  I  do,"  he  speered.     "  Do  you 


AN  APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATH.    245 

think  I  should  be  fool  enough  to  let  you  in — you 
wild  beast ! — you  bully ! — I've  too  great  a  care  for 
my  own  safety  for  that." 

*'  You'd  better  let  me  in  quietly,"  I  warned  him. 

"  I  won't— I  won't !  "  he  almost  shouted.  "  I 
mean  to  protect  myself.  And  I'll  tell  you  some- 
thing else,  my  young  friend,"  he  went  on,  leaning 
further  out  of  the  window,  and  shaking  a  fist  at  me. 
"  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  see  you  comfortably  put 
away  again." 

"  Indeed  ?  "  I  retorted,  "  and  how  are  you  going 
to  manage  that  ?  " 

"  I've  written  to  the  authorities,  telling  them 
that  if  they  come  here  to-morrow  night  I  can  give 
them  a  full  and  true  account  of  a  certain  convict 
called  Norton  Hyde,  supposed  to  be  buried  in  Pent- 
house Prison,  but  really  very  much  alive.  Put  that 
in  your  pipe  and  smoke  it !  I've  cooked  your 
goose,  my  boy,  and  I  shall  sleep  peaceful  o'  nights 
in  future." 

He  slammed  down  the  window,  leaving  me  stand- 
ing in  the  darkness,  thinking  long  thoughts.  I  saw 
that  it  was  as  hopeless  for  me  to  get  in  here  as  it 
had  proved  to  be  at  the  house  of  Bardolph  Just  ; 
I  went  sorrowfully  out  of  the  gate,  realising  that  all 
was  over.  As  I  turned  into  the  road,  I  almost 
cannoned  against  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  lounging 
there.  He  turned  away  his  face  quickly,  and 
although  for  a  moment  I  had  a  feeling  that  it  was  a 
face  that  was  familiar  to  me,  the  thought  merely 
flitted  through  my  mind  for  a  moment,  and  was 
gone  as  the  man  lurched  away.  I  saw  that  he  was 
dressed  roughly,  like  a  labouring  man. 

You  may  be  sure  that  I  did  not  sleep  that  night. 
I  paced  my  room,  wondering  what  I  should  do  ;  I 
varied  that  only  by  seating  mvself  at  the  window, 
and  staring  out  at  the  sky,  telling  myself  over  and 
over  again  that  all  I  had  striven  to  do  had  conie 


246  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

to  naught.  To-morrow  the  true  story  would  be 
told  to  the  world  ;  to-morrow  Norton  Hyde  would 
be  a  hunted  man  again,  with  three  or  four  people 
interested  in  his  capture,  who  would  know  all  his 
movements,  and  could  supply  a  dozen  clues  towards 
finding  him.  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  do  any- 
thing to  help  Debora,  because  Bardolph  Just's 
house  would  be  one  of  the  first  places  to  be  watched, 
if  it  came  to  a  hunt  for  me.     I  was  done 

And  then  it  was  that  I  came  to  a  desperate  reso- 
lution. I  was  homeless  and  hopeless,  and  I  had 
failed  ;  I  determined  that  I  would  keep  the  appoint- 
ment that  night,  and  would  meet  those  who  were 
to  see  my  uncle.  I  would  give  myself  up  to  the 
authorities,  and  so  end  the  miserable  business  by 
going  back  to  my  prison.  There  was  nothing  else  for 
it ;  I  felt  that  it  was  far  better  to  close  the  matter 
once  and  for  all  time. 

I  got  to  Uncle  Zabdiel's  house  after  darkness  had 
set  in.  Just  as  I  turned  into  the  road  leading  to 
it,  I  saw  two  men,  respectably  dressed  in  dark 
clothing,  and  with  bowler  hats,  going  along  in  front 
of  me  ;  my  heart  gave  a  little  jump,  for  I  thought  I 
knew  their  errand.  They  came  to  the  gate  in  the 
wall  and  opened  it.  I  had  determined  by  this  time 
that  I  would  waste  no  time,  and  so  I  came  up  with 
them  as  they  passed  into  the  garden.  One  of  them 
turned  and  looked  at  me. 

"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I've  come  to  see  Mr.  Blowfield,"  I  replied  ;  for 
I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  see  the  matter  out  in 
my  uncle's  presence. 

The  man  said  nothing,  but  joined  his  companion, 
who  was  standing  before  the  door  of  the  house,  and 
who  had  just  rung  the  bell.  There  was  no  answer 
to  the  summons,  and  after  a  time  he  tugged  at  the 
bell-pull  again.  In  moving  to  do  this  he  made  a 
discovery. 


AN   APPOINTMENT  WITH  DEATHi    247 

"  Why,  the  door's  open,"  he  murmured  ;  then  he 
pushed  it,  and  stepped  into  the  dark  hall, 

"  Hadn't  you  better  call  out  ?  "  said  the  other 
man. 

The  first  man  lifted  his  voice,  and  called  out 
sharply,  "  Mr.  Blowfield  !  Mr.  Blowfield  !  " 

His  voice  echoed  in  a  dreary  fashion  through  the 
house,  and  seemed  to  come  back  at  us.  The  first 
man  had  by  this  time  touched  a  shelf  which  stood 
in  the  hall,  and  on  which  was  a  lamp.  Looking 
about  him  sharply  while  he  did  so,  he  dexterously 
got  a  light  and  lit  the  lamp  ;  then,  with  a  glance  at 
his  companion,  he  stepped  into  the  room  which 
was  the  dining-room.     It  was  empty. 

I  followed  them  from  that  room  into  the  study, 
which  again  was  empty.  Then  the  first  man,  still 
carrying  the  lamp,  after  muttering  something  to 
his  companion  which  I  did  not  hear,  began 
to  ascend  the  stairs.  I  was  the  last  of  the  trio, 
and  I  suddenly  heard  the  first  man  cry  out  in  an 
excited  voice. 

"  Here,  catch  hold  of  this !  "  he  exclaimed, 
passing  the  lamp  down  to  the  other  man. 
*'  There's  been  an  accident !  " 

I  pressed  forward  then,  and  looked.  Lying  prone 
upon  the  staircase,  with  his  head  and  shoulders 
hanging  down  over  the  top  stairs,  lay  Uncle  Zab- 
diel.  Beside  him  was  a  heavy  stick — that  stick 
with  which  he  had  once  threatened  me — and  his 
head  and  face  were  cruelly  beaten  in.  Whoever 
had  killed  him  had  not  been  able  to  bear  the  sight 
of  him  afterwards,  for  the  clothes  from  his  bed  had 
been  dragged  out  of  the  room  and  pulled  across  him. 

Uncle  Zabdiel's  dream  had  come  true. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

"that's    the    man!" 

Half-a-dozen  surmises  seemed  to  rush  through  my 
mind  at  that  lirst  sight  of  Uncle  Zabdiel  lying  dead. 
The  first — that  he  had  tried  to  drive  too  hard  a 
bargain  with  Bardolph  Just,  and  had  been  caught 
in  his  own  net ;  the  next,  that  that  badly-used 
youth,  Andrew  Ferkoe,  had  turned  at  last  and 
killed  his  oppressor.  I  thought,  too,  that  perhaps 
some  poor  creature  he  had  driven  to  desperation, 
and  ground  hard  in  his  money  mill,  had  chosen  this 
way  to  pay  liis  debts. 

One  of  the  men  ran  off  in  what  I  thought  was  an 
absurd  search  for  a  doctor  ;  the  other  stood  wait- 
ing, and  keeping,  as  I  thought,  a  watchful  eye 
upon  me.  In  truth,  I  was  not  altogether  comfort- 
able, for  although  Uncle  Zabdiel's  lips  were  for  ever 
sealed,  I  thought  it  possible  that  he  might  have 
made  the  bare  statement  that  his  supposedly-dead 
nephew  was  alive,  in  writing  to  the  authorities.  In 
which  case,  it  mi^ht  go  hard  with  me  that  I  should 
be  seen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  house  in  which 
he  had  been  so  recently  killed,  and  that  house,  too, 
with  its  front  door  open.  The  man  had  set  down 
the  lamp  upon  the  landing,  where  it  lighted  up 
the  dead  man  horribly  ;  he  now  began  to  put  a  few 
questions  to  me. 

248 


"  THAT'S  THE  MAN  !  "  249 

"  Had  you  an  appointment  with  this  gentleman  ?  " 
he  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Yes,  I  had,"  I  answered.  "  An  appointment  on 
a  matter  of  business.  I  was  coming  to  the  house, 
when  I  saw  you  and  the  other  man  on  your  way 
here.  May  I  ask  who  you  are  ?  "  For  I  thought 
it  better  to  pretend  ignorance,  althougli  I  knew 
well  that  these  must  be  the  men  for  whom  Uncle 
Zabdiel  had  sent. 

"  We  are  police  officers,"  said  the  man,  "  and  we 
had  an  appointment  with  Mr.  Blowfield  for  this 
evening.  It  seems  a  pity  that  we  were  not  a  little 
earlier,"  he  added. 

"  You  might  have  been  useful,"  I  added  drilv. 
"  What  should  Mr.  Blowfield  want  with  you  ?  " 

The  man  looked  at  me  suspiciously,  but  did  not 
answer.  He  turned  to  look  at  the  dead  man  with 
a  thoughtful  frown  on  his  face.  "  This  is  the  sort 
of  case  that  absolutel}'  invites  murder,  in  a  manner 
of  speaking,"  he  said.  "  A  lonely  old  man — prob- 
ably without  a  soul  in  the  house — pretty  well  off, 
I  expect  ;  that  sort  of  thing  soon  gets  spread  about 
among  the  sort  of  people  to  whom  it's  of  interest. 
Of  course,  I  couldn't  say  off-hand  ;  but  I  should 
judge  that  robbery  was  the  business  here,  and  that 
whoever  did  it  has  had  to  make  a  mighty  quick 
exit,  or  they  would  scarcely  have  left  the  door  as 
we  found  it.  It's  been  a  touch-and-go  business, 
and,  as  I  say,  if  we  had  been  a  little  earlier  the  old 
gentleman  might  have  been  alive  to  tell  us  what  he 
wanted  to  tell  us." 

Now,  although  I  had  been  resolute  in  my  deter- 
mination to  end  the  matter,  and  to  go  back  to  my 
prison,  I  found  myself  thanking  my  stars  that  the 
old  gentleman  had  not  been  alive  to  say  what  he 
had  to  say.  Not  that  I  should  ever  have  found  it 
in  my  heart  to  do  him  an  inj  ury  on  my  own  account, 
and,  indeed,  I  was  a  little  horrified  to  find  him  done 


250  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

to  death  in  this  fashion  ;  but  you  must  understand 
how  great  a  rehef  it  was  for  me. 

By  this  time  the  second  man  had  come  back, 
bringing  with  him  a  young  doctor.  The  latter 
glanced  quickly  from  one  to  the  other  of  us,  and 
then  knelt  down  on  the  stairs  to  make  his  examina- 
tion. The  first  police  officer  stood  near  to  him, 
holding  the  lamp  ;  I,  with  the  other  man,  stood 
below.  In  a  moment  or  two  the  doctor  looked  up, 
with  pursed  lips,  and  nodded  quickly  to  the  man 
with  the  lamp. 

"  Nothing  for  me  to  do  here,"  he  said  quietly. 
"  He's  been  dead  about  half  an  hour — scarcely 
more,  I  should  think.  A  weak  old  man  like  this 
wouldn't  stand  much  chance  when  he  came  face  to 
face  with  a  strong  man  armed  with  that  stick. 
He's  had  two  blows — one  clean  in  front,  and  the 
other  at  the  side.  He  must  have  died  almost  on 
the  instant.     Anyone  suspected  ?  " 

The  man  with  the  lamp  shook  his  head.  "  We've 
only  arrived  here  a  matter  of  minutes  ago,"  he 
replied,  "  having  been  asked  by  the  old  gentleman 
to  call  here  to-night." 

"  What  for  ?  "  The  doctor,  who  had  risen  to  his 
feet,  asked  the  question  sharply. 

"  This  Mr.  Blowfield,"  answered  the  man  in  a 
perplexed  tone,  "  has  written  to  Scotland  Yard, 
saying  that  if  someone  would  call  to  see  him  he 
could  give  them  information  concerning  a  nephew 
of  his — a  man  called  Norton  Hyde.  Tiiis  nephew 
robbed  him  some  time  ago,  and  was  sentenced  to 
penal  servitude.  He  escaped,  and  committed 
suicide  rather  than  be  captured  ;  so  that  I  don't 
see  what  the  old  gentleman  could  have  had  to 
tell  us." 

I  determined  that  I  would  strike  in  boldly  for 
myself ;  it  would  seem  less  suspicious  than  keeping 
silence.     "  Oh,  yes  !  "   I  exclaimed,  a  httle  scorn- 


"THAT'S  THE  MAN!"  251 

fully,  "  he's  had  that  idea  for  a  long  time — ^he  was 
always  talking  about  it." 

"  What  idea  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  The  idea  that  his  nephew  was  alive,"  I  said. 
*'  I  daresay  you  may  remember  the  case  of  the 
young  man  ?  "  I  added. 

"  Perfectly,"  said  the  doctor.  "  I  wonder  where 
the  old  chap  got  that  notion  from  ?  " 

"  We'd  better  go  through  the  house,  and  see 
what  has  been  disturbed,"  said  the  first  man, 
moving  forward  with  the  lamp.  Then  suddenly, 
after  a  whispered  word  to  his  companion,  he  turned 
again  to  me.  "  Were  you  a  friend  of  Mr,  Blow- 
field  ?  "  he  asked,  and  this  time  I  saw  the  doctor 
also  looking  at  me  curiously, 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  \  new  him  well,"  I  answered  readily. 
"Believe  me,"  i  said,  with  a  little  laugh,  "I  am 
quite  willing  to  give  you  every  information  in  my 
power  concerning  myself.  My  name  is  John  New, 
and  I  am  lodging  quite  near  here.  I  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  coming  backwards  and  forwards  on 
various  occasions  ;  as  you  know,  I  came  in  just 
behind  you  to-night." 

"  That's  true  enough,  sir,"  said  the  other  man. 

Now  all  this  time  I  had  quite  forgotten  the  boy 
Andrew  Ferkoe  ;  and  suddenly  it  leapt  into  my  mind 
that  instead  of  being  in  the  house,  as  he  should 
properly  have  been,  we  had  seen  nothing  of  him. 
My  heart  sank  at  that  remembrance,  for  I  liked  the 
boy,  and  had  been  sorry  to  think  how  badly  he  was 
treated.  I  could  sympathise  with  him  more  than 
anyone  else  could  well  do,  for  had  I  not  suffered  just 
as  he  had  suffered,  and  had  not  I  made  shipwreck 
of  my  life  because  of  this  old  man  who  had  gone  to 
his  account  ?  I  felt  certain  now  in  my  own  mind 
what  had  happened  ;  Andrew  Ferkoe  had  turned  at 
last  upon  his  master,  and  had  beaten  him  to^death, 
and  then  had  fled  out  of  the  house. 


252  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

The  man  with  the  lamp  turned  at  the  door  of  a 
room,  and  looked  back  at  me  over  his  shoulder. 
"  Did  you  know  anything  about  his  habits,  sir  ?  " 
he  asked.     "  Did  he  live  alone  ?  " 

I  determined  to  lie.  After  all,  they  might  not 
discover  anything  about  the  wretched  boy  if  I  held 
my  peace.  "  Quite  alone,  I  beheve,"  I  said.  "  There 
was  an  old  woman  used  to  come  in  to  clean  house 
for  him,  and  cook  his  meals ;  but  only  for  an  hour 
or  two  a  day." 

"  Just  as  I  thought  :  this  sort  of  party  absolutely 
asks  to  be  murdered  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

We  found  the  place  in  great  disorder.  Drawers 
had  been  wrenched  open,  and  the  contents  scattered 
in  all  directions  ;  desks  forced,  and  cupboards  burst 
open.  So  far  as  we  could  judge,  my  Uncle  Zabdiel 
must  have  been  in  his  bedroom  at  the  time  of  the 
nttark,  and  must  have  heard  a  noise,  and  come 
out,  armed  with  that  heavy  stick  of  his.  There 
rould  not  have  been  any  struggle,  save  in  the 
wrenching  away  of  the  stick  from  his  grasp  ;  after 
that  it  had  been  a  mere  matter  of  the  two  blows, 
as  the  doctor  had  suggested.  The  robbery  after- 
wards had  been  a  hunied  business,  bunglingly 
done.  The  great  safe  in  the  comer  of  the  study — 
that  room  in  which  I  had  toiled  so  many  years — 
was  untouched  ;  and,  from  what  I  knew  of  my 
uncle  and  his  ideas  regarding  property,  I  judged 
that  the  murderer  had  got  but  little  for  that  risking 
of  liis  neck.  That  he  had  tried  to  cover  up  the 
body  from  his  own  sight  was  obvious,  from  the  fact 
that  he  must  have  gone  back  into  the  bedroom,  and 
so  have  dragged  out  the  bed-clothing  to  put  over 
his  victim. 

"  We'll  go  through  the  rest  of  the  house,"  said 
the  man  ;  and  I  suddenly  leapt  to  the  remembrance 
that  they  must  discover  Andrew  Ferkoe's  room, 
^nd  his  bed,  and  must  begin  to  put  awkward  ques- 


"THAT'S  THE  MAN!"  253 

tions  to  me.  I  was  on  the  point  of  suggesting  that 
I  beheved  the  other  rooms  to  be  empty  ;  but,  on 
second  thoughts,  I  felt  it  best  to  hold  my  tongue, 
and  to  trust  that  the  boy  might  yet  escape. 

So  the  four  of  us  came  to  the  door  of  the  room, 
and  the  man  with  the  lamp  unsuspiciously  opened 
it,  and  went  in.  He  stopped  with  a  gasp,  and 
looked  back  at  us. 

"  There's  someone  here  !  "  he  whispered.  "  In 
bed — and  asleep  !  " 

Wonderingly  we  went  forward  into  the  room.  The 
man  with  the  lamp  bent  over  the  bed  and  turned 
back  the  clothes.  Andrew  Ferkoe  seemed  to  rouse 
himself  from  sleep,  and  to  stretch  his  arms  ;  he  sat 
up  and  yawned  at  us.  For  my  part,  I  felt  that  he 
rather  overdid  the  thing.  His  face  was  white  and 
drawn  ;  but  then,  it  was  always  that.  I  confess  I 
was  a  little  contemptuous  of  the  cunning  he  dis- 
played ;  I  was  not  quite  so  sorry  for  him  as  I  had 
been.  There  we  stood,  grouped  about  his  bed, 
while  he  sat  up  and  looked  round  from  one  to  the 
other  of  us. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  doctor  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  Matter  enough  !  " 
he  ejaculated.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  you've  been 
asleep  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Andrew  Ferkoe.  "  What  else 
should  I  go  to  bed  for  ?  " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  us  that  you've  heard 
nothing  to-night  ?  "  asked  the  man  with  the  lamp 
sharply.     "  No  struggling — no  crying  out  ?  " 

Andrew  Ferkoe  slowly  shook  his  head.  "  I 
don't  know  what  you're  talking  about,"  he  said. 
"Who  are  you?  I  know  that  ^  gentleman,"  he 
added,  pointing  to  me.  "  Wliat]  do  they  want, 
Mr.  New  ?  " 

I  began  to  have  a  sneaking  admiration  for  the 
boy,  even  though  I  shuddered  at  him  ;  I  thought 


254  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

how  wonderfully  he  played  the  game.     I  answered 
as  calmly  as  I  could. 

"  Your  master  has  been  murdered,  Andrew,"  I 
said — "  brutally  done  to  death.  Have  you  really 
been  asleep  ? — have  you  heard  nothing  ?  " 

"  Nothing  at  all,  sir,"  he  said,  scrambling  out  of 
bed,  and  standing  ghostlike  amongst  us  in  his  long 
night-shirt,  and  with  his  thin,  bare  feet  and  ankles 
showing.     "  I  don't  know  anything  about  it." 

He  began  to  whimper,  looking  from  one  to  the 
other  of  us  in  a  terrified  way  ;  I  began  to  have  my 
doubts  whether,  after  all,  he  was  not  sincere,  and 
had  not  really  slept  through  the  horrible  business. 

"  I  thought  you  said  that  the  old  gentleman  lived 
alone  ?  "  asked  the  police  officer,  turning  to  me. 

"  When  I  said  that  I'd  clean  forgotten  the  boy," 
I  answered  easily.  "  You  see,  I've  never  been  here 
except  by  daylight ;  how  should  I  know  that 
anyone  else  slept  in  the  house  ?  " 

That  explanation  seemed  simple  enough,  and,  in 
a  fashion,  satisfactory.  I  suggested  to  the  man 
that  Andrew  Ferkoe  should  be  allowed  to  dress  ;  I 
pledged  my  word  to  look  after  him. 

"  You  see,  you  can  hardly  leave  the  boy  in  the 
house  alone,  after  what  has  occurred,"  I  urged. 
"  You  have  my  address,  and  you  can  verify  it  if 
you  like.  Let  me  take  the  boy  with  me,  and  I 
will  undertake  to  produce  him  for  any  enquiry  at 
any  time." 

I  saw  that  they  hesitated  ;  it  was  the  doctor  who 
put  in  the  final  word  on  Andrew  Ferkoe's  behalf. 
He  had  been  looking  at  the  youth  curiously,  had 
even  put  a  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  had  twisted 
him  about  to  look  into  his  eyes. 

"  I  shouldn't  think  much  suspicion  would  attach 
to  our  young  friend  here,"  he  said.  "  A  bit  of  a 
weakHng,  I  should  imagine,  not  very  Hkely  to  do 
any  harm  to  anyone.    Certainly  it  won't  do  to  leave 


'* THAT'S   THE  MAN!"  255 

him  in  this  place.  Get  dressed,  my  lad,"  he  added 
to  Andrew. 

As  he  turned  away  I  heard  him  whisper  to  the 
man  with  the  lamp,  "  He's  been  asleep  fast  enough. 
I  doubt  if  the  old  man  even  cried  out.  The  whole 
attack  would  be  too  sudden." 

I  waited  with  Andrew  Ferkoe  while  he  got  dressed  ; 
the  others  went  downstairs  to  move  the  body  of 
Uncle  Zabdiel.  Once  or  twice  I  noticed  that  the 
boy  looked  at  me  in  a  furtive  way.  I  began  to 
think  that  if  he  had  been  innocent  he  would  in  all 
probability  have  said  something,  or  have  asked 
some  question.  He  got  into  his  clothes  rapidly, 
fumbling  a  great  deal  with  the  buttons,  as  though 
his  fingers  trembled.  Once  he  looked  up,  and  opened 
his  mouth  as  if  to  speak.  I  shook  my  head  at  him. 
"  Better  not  say  anything,  Andrew,"  I  said  in  a 
whisper. 

He  looked  at  me  in  a  startled  way,  but  finished 
his  dressing  without  a  word.  We  went  out  of  the 
room  together,  and  on  the  stairs  I  met  the  doctor 
and  the  two  men,  who  were  waiting  for  us.  It 
seemed  that  one  man  was  to  remain  in  charge  of  the 
house,  while  the  other  walked  with  me  to  my  lodg- 
ing to  see  that  the  address  I  had  given  was  a  correct 
one.  In  a  few  minutes  Andrew  Ferkoe  and  I  were 
walking  along  in  silence,  side  by  side,  with  the 
police  officer  a  little  in  the  rear. 

In  due  course  we  came  to  my  lodgings,  and  there 
the  man  left  us.  I  roused  up  the  landlady,  some- 
thing to  her  surprise,  and  told  her  that  I  must  have 
another  bed  put  into  my  room.  I  did  not  mean  to 
lose  sight  of  the  youth  until  I  had  decided  what 
to  do  with  him. 

The  woman  very  obligingly  got  out  a  little  camp 
bedstead  that  was  stowed  away  in  an  attic,  and  I 
assisted  her  to  rig  it  up  in  a  corner  of  my  room. 
Then   she   bade    us    "  Good-night,"    and   Andrew 


256  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVEl 

Ferkoc  and  I  were  left  alone.  And  for  a  time  there 
was  silence,  while  I  sat  on  the  side  of  my  bed  and 
smoked,  and  looked  at  him 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  in  that  queer  way  ?  ** 
he  asked  at  last,  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  Look  here,  Andrew,"  I  said  solemnly,  "  let  me 
say  quite  reverently  that  at  the  present  moment 
there's  just  God  and  you  and  me  in  this  room,  and 
God  understands  a  great  deal  better  even  than  I  do 
what  you  have  had  to  put  up  with.  Don't  sjjeak 
until  I've  finished,"  I  exclaimed  sternly,  "  because  I 
want  to  give  you  a  word  of  warning.  If  you  want 
to  tell  me  anything,  let's  hear  it ;  if  you  don't  want 
to  tell  me  anything,  go  to  bed,  and  try  to  sleep. 
But  if  you  do  speak — speak  the  truth." 

He  looked  at  me  round-eyed,  and  with  his  mouth 
wide  open,  for  nearly  a  minute  ;  then  he  gasped  out 
a  question.  "  Do  you — do  you  really  think  I  did 
it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  think  about  it  at  all,"  I  answered.  "  I'm 
waiting  for  you  to  tell  me — if  you  feel  you  want  to." 

"  I  didn't  do  it — I  never  touched  him.  I  should 
never  have  had  the  strength  or  the  courage,"  he 
began,  in  a  shaking  whisper. 

"  But  you  were  shamming  sleep,"  I  reminded  him. 

"  Of  course  I  was,"  was  his  surprising  answer. 
"  What  else  could  I  do  ?  I  didn't  know  who  you 
were,  or  who  was  coming  into  the  place,  and  I'd  seen 
enough  in  the  way  of  horrors  for  one  night  to  last 
me  all  my  life."  He  shuddered,  and  covered  his 
face  with  his  hands,  and  dropped  down  on  to  his  bed. 

"  Seen  enough  horrors  !  "  I  echoed.  "  What  had 
you  seen  ?  " 

He  looked  up  at  me,  and  began  his  extraordinary 
story.  "  I  went  to  bed  a  long  time  before  old 
Blowfield,"  he  said.  "  I  think  I  went  to  sleep 
almost  at  once  ;  I  generally  do,  you  know.  At  all 
events  I  didn't  hear  the  old  man  come  up  to  his 


"THAT'S  THE  MAN!"  257 

room.  When  I  first  woke  up  I  heard  a  noise  down 
below  in  the  house,  just  Hke  somebody  wrenching 
open  a  shutter.  I  got  horribly  frightened,  and  I  put 
my  head  under  the  bedclothes,  and  kept  very  still ; 
it  was  just  like  that  night  when  you  broke  in  and 
came  to  my  room.  After  a  time  the  noise  stopped, 
and  I  began  to  wonder  whether  someone  had  tried 
to  get  in  and  couldn't,  or  whether  they  had  really 
got  into  the  house.  It  must  have  been  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  after  that — only  it  seemed 
ever  so  much  longer — that  I  first  heard  old  Blow- 
field  cry  out." 

I  felt  certain  now  that  he  was  speaking  the 
truth.  Watching  him  narrowly,  I  saw  the  terror 
grow  in  his  eyes  at  the  recollection  of  what  he  had 
heard  and  seen  in  that  grim  old  house.  I  nodded 
to  him  to  go  on. 

"I  heard  old  Blowfield  shout  out,  'Who's  there  ? '  " 
went  on  the  youth.  "  He  shouted  that  twice,  and  I 
got  so  excited  that  I  crept  out  of  my  room  in  the 
dark,  and  leaned  over  the  rail  at  the  top  of  the  stair- 
case. I  saw  old  Blowfield  standing  there,  and  just 
below  him  was  a  man,  and  the  man  was  crouching 
as  if  he  was  going  to  spring.  Old  Blowfield  struck 
at  him  with  the  stick — he  was  holding  a  candle  in 
his  left  hand,  so  that  he  could  see  what  he  was  doing 
— and  the  man  dodged,  and  caught  the  stick,  and 
pulled  it  out  of  his  hand.  The  man  struck  old 
Blowfield  once,  and  he  went  down  and  lay  still ;  and 
then  he  struck  him  again." 

"  Why  didn't  you  raise  an  alarm  ?  "  I  asked, 
somewhat  needlessly. 

"  What  good  would  that  have  been  ?  "  murmured 
Andrew  Ferkoe  resentfully.  "  I  could  see  that  the 
man  didn't  think  there  was  anyone  else  in  the  house. 
What  chance  should  I  have  had  if  he'd  caught  sight 
of  me  ?  I  don't  know  whether  I  made  any  noise^ 
but  while  he  stood  there  with  the  stick  in  his  hands 

R 


258  DEAD   MAN'S   LOVE. 

he  looked  up  towards  where  I  was,  but  he  didn't  see 
me.  Then  he  went  back  into  the  bedroom  and  came 
out,  dragging  the  bedclothes  ;  he  threw  them  on  top 
of  the  old  man.  When  he  went  down  into  the  house 
I  slipped  back  into  my  room  and  got  into  bed  ;  I 
simply  dared  not  move  or  make  a  sound." 

"  How  long  did  you  stop  like  that  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  don't  rightly  know,"  was  his  reply,  as  he  shook 
his  head.  "It  seemed  a  long  time,  and  at  first  I 
could  hear  him  moving  about  the  house  here  and 
there,  and  then  there  was  a  silence.  I  had  just  got 
out  of  bed,  meaning  to  go  down,  when  I  heard 
another  movement  in  the  house,  and  then  voices. 
And  I  lay  there,  trembhng  so  that  I  could  feel  the 
bed  shaking  under  me,  until  at  last,  after  what 
seemed  hours,  I  heard  people  coming  up  the  stairs, 
and  coming  into  my  room.  And  then  I  gave  myself 
up  for  lost,  and  tried  hard  to  pray.  I  thought  if  I 
pretended  to  be  asleep  they  wouldn't  kill  me,  and  so 
I  pretended.  You  may  imagine  how  relieved  I  felt 
when  I  opened  my  eyes  and  saw  you." 

"  That's  all  very  well,  my  young  friend,"  I  said, 
"  but  why  in  the  world  didn't  you  tell  the  truth  at 
once,  and  say  what  you'd  seen  ?  Why  did  you  lie, 
and  say  that  you  had  been  asleep  and  had  heard 
nothing  ?  " 

He  looked  at  me  with  an  expression  of  cuiming  on 
his  lean  face. 

"  Who  was  going  to  believe  me  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  Even  you  had  heard  me  say  how  badly  the  old 
man  had  treated  me,  and  how  I  wished  I  had  the 
courage  to  kill  him  ;  even  you  believed  to-night, 
first  of  all,  that  I  had  done  it.  If  I  had  told  any 
story  about  a  man  coming  into  the  place  and  killing 
old  Blowfield,  and  going  again,  they  would  have 
laughed  at  me.  I  was  in  a  tight  comer,  and  the  only 
thing  I  could  do  was  to  pretend  that  I  had  slept 
through  it  all.'* 


"THAT'S  THE  MAN!'*  259 

I  saw  the  reasonableness  of  that  argument ;  it 
might  have  gone  hard  with  the  boy  if  for  a  moment 
suspicion  had  fallen  upon  him.  "  Did  you  see  the 
face  of  the  man  clearly  ?  "  I  asked,  after  a  pause, 
"  What  was  he  like  ?  " 

"  He  was  a  small  man,  stooping  a  little,"  said 
Andrew  Ferkoe.  "  I  shoidd  think  he  would  be  about 
forty-five  or  fifty  years  of  age.  He  was  dressed  like 
a  labourer." 

Instantly  I  remembered  the  man  I  had  seen  on 
the  previous  evening  lurking  outside  the  house  ;  I 
wished  now  that  I  had  taken  more  note  of  him.  I 
began  to  wonder  who  it  could  be,  and  whether  it  was 
only  some  chance  loafer  who  had  selected  that  house 
as  one  likely  to  suit  his  purpose  for  burglary.  It 
could  scarcely  have  been  anyone  who  knew  Uncle 
Zabdiel's  habits  weU,  or  he  would  not  have  been 
surprised  on  the  stairs  as  he  had  been  ;  for  the  fact 
that  he  had  to  snatch  a  weapon  from  the  hand  of 
the  old  man  proved,  I  thought,  that  he  had  not  gone 
there  meaning  to  kiU.  For  the  matter  of  that,  few 
men  enter  a  place  with  that  deliberate  intention  ;  it 
is  only  done  in  the  passion  of  the  moment,  when 
they  must  strike  and  silence  another,  or  suffer  the 
penalty  for  what  they  have  done. 

Long  after  the  boy  was  in  bed  and  asleep  I  sat 
there  watching  him.  Even  now  my  mind  was  not 
clear  of  doubts  concerning  Andrew  Ferkoe,  smooth 
though  his  tale  was.  I  wondered  if  all  he  had  told  me 
was  true,  or  if,  after  all,  he  had  seized  that  occasion 
to  strike  down  the  old  man,  and  so  pay  off  old  scores. 
I  knew  that  for  the  present  I  must  leave  the  matter, 
and  must  wait  for  time  or  chance  to  elucidate  the 
mystery. 

It  must  have  been  about  the  middle  of  the  ni^ht 
when  I  found  myself  sitting  up  in  bed,  very  wide 
awake,  with  one  name  seeming  to  din  itself  into  my 
ears.     I  wondered  why  I  had  not  thought  of  it  before. 


26o  DEAD  MAN'S   LOVE. 

"  VViUiam  Capper  ! '' 

It  had  been  a  little  man,  who  walked  with  drooping 
shoulders,  a  man  who  might  be  forty-five  or  fifty 
years  of  age.  Well,  Capper  was  older  than  that,  but 
then  Andrew  Ferkoe  had  only  seen  tlie  man  in  the 
dim  light  of  a  candle. 

And  the  motive  ?  That  was  more  difficult  to 
arrive  at,  although  even  I  thought  there  I  saw  my 
way.  Capper  I  knew  was  determined  to  kill  Bar- 
dolph  Just  if  he  could,  and  he  would  know  that 
Bardolph  Just  had  gone  to  the  house  of  Zabdiel 
Blowfield.  What  more  natural  than  that  he  should 
have  seen  him  arrive,  but  should  have  missed  him 
when  he  went  away  ;  that  would  explain  the  man  in 
labouring  clothes  I  had  seen  hanging  about  near  the 
house.  Capper  would  know  that  he  must  put  on 
some  sort  of  disguise  in  order  to  bring  himself  into 
the  presence  of  the  doctor,  and  in  order  to  lull  the 
other's  dread  of  him.  I  was  convinced  now  that  it 
was  Capper  who  had  forced  his  way  into  the  house 
late  at  night,  and,  finding  himself  suddenly  con- 
fronted by  a  man  who  demanded  his  business,  had 
aimed  a  blow  at  him  at  the  same  time,  and  killed 
Zabdiel  Blowfield  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment.  I 
lay  down  again,  firmly  convinced  that  I  had  arrived 
at  a  proper  solution  of  the  matter. 

I  further  questioned  Ferkoe  in  the  morning,  and 
all  that  he  told  me  served  the  more  to  settle  the  thing 
in  my  mind.  I  wondered  if  by  any  chance  Capper 
would  be  discovered  ;  I  wondered  also  whether,  after 
all,  I  had  been  mistaken  in  my  estimate  of  him, 
and  whether  the  sudden  gusts  of  passion  that  had 
swept  over  him  on  the  two  occasions  in  regard  to 
Bardolph  Just  might  not  have  been  real  madness, 
and  might,  in  this  last  case,  have  found  their  victim 
in  a  man  with  whom  Capper  had  nothing  to  do.  In 
that  case  he  was  merely  a  harmful  lunatic,  dangerous 
to  anyone  when  those  gusts  of  passion  swept  him. 


"  THAT'S  THE  MAN  !  "  261 

I  found  that  during  the  next  day  or  two  I  was 
pretty  closely  watched  and  interrogated  by  one  and 
another,  and  more  than  once  I  trembled  for  my 
liberty,  and  even  for  my  life.  For  you  will  under- 
stand that  I  was  surrounded  now,  more  than  ever,  by 
dangers  of  every  sort ;  if  it  could  once  have  been 
proved  or  even  suggested  that  I  was  that  convict 
nephew  of  the  dead  man,  it  would  have  gone  hard 
with  me.  For  here  was  I,  masquerading  under 
another  name,  and  actually  walking  up  to  the  house 
on  the  night  of  the  murder.  And  had  not  Zabdiel 
Blowfield  actually  stated  in  writing  that  he  could  tell 
the  authorities  something  concerning  his  nephew, 
Norton  Hyde  ?  The  motive  was  clear  ;  it  had  been 
vitally  necessary  that  I  should  silence  Uncle  Zabdiel 
at  all  costs. 

So  I  argued  the  matter,  and  I  remembered  un- 
easily enough  that  that  weakhng,  Andrew  Ferkoe, 
knew  who  I  really  was,  and  might,  in  case  of  ex- 
tremity, give  my  secret  away.  On  the  other  hand 
it  turned  out  that  the  police  had  found  a  scrap  of 
writing  in  the  house,  which  gave  the  name  and 
address  of  Dr.  Bardolph  Just,  so  that  that  gentle- 
man was  brought  into  the  business,  in  order 
that  questions  might  be  asked  of  him.  I  had 
gone  down  to  the  house,  and  there  we  came  face 
to  face. 

There  was  no  necessity  for  me  to  ask  him  what  he 
thought  about  the  matter  ;  I  read  in  his  face  that  he 
was  certain  in  his  own  mind  that  I  was  the  man.  I 
should  not  have  spoken  to  him  at  all,  because  when 
next  I  fought  him  I  meant  to  fight  with  other 
weapons  than  my  tongue,  but  he  came  up  to  me, 
and  looked  at  me  with  that  evil  grin  of  his. 

"  This  is  a  bad  business,"  he  said.  "  I  understand 
that  you  were  here  almost  immediately  after  the 
thing  was  done,  eh  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  not  before,"  I  replied  in  a  whisper. 


262  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  You're  on  the  wrong  track,  I  assure  you.  I've 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter." 

I  saw  that  he  had  something  more  to  say  to  me. 
When  presently  I  left  the  house  he  strolled  along  by 
my  side.  His  first  words  were  startling  enough,  in 
all  conscience. 

'*  Well,  so  for  the  moment  you  have  succeeded," 
he  said  quietly. 

I  turned  and  stared  at  him  ;  I  did  not  understand 
in  the  least  what  he  meant.  "  In  what  have  I 
succeeded  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Don't  I  tell  you  that  I'm 
not  responsible  for  the  business  we've  just  been 
talking  about." 

"  You  know  what  I'm  referring  to,"  he  said, 
harshly.     "  I'm  speaking  of  the  girl." 

I  had  learnt  wisdom,  and  I  controlled  myself 
with  an  effort.  "  What  of  her  ?  "  I  asked  care- 
lessly. 

I  saw  his  eyes  flash,  and  noticed  that  his  teeth 
were  clenched  hard  as  he  strode  along  beside  me. 
"  You've  got  her  !  "  he  burst  out  at  last,  "  but  you 
shan't  keep  her.  You've  been  wise  enough,  too,  to 
hide  her  away  somewhere  where  you  don't  go  your- 
self. I've  had  you  watched,  and  I  know  that.  But 
I'll  find  her,  and  if  I  don't  find  her  within  a  certain 
time,  determined  on  by  myself,  I'll  tell  my  story, 
and  you  shall  hang  !  " 

I  was  on  the  point  of  blurting  out  that  I  knew 
nothing  about  the  matter,  but  on  second  thoughts  I 
held  my  tongue.  I  guessed  in  a  moment  that  Debora 
must  have  made  her  escape  from  the  house,  and 
must  be  somewhere  in  hiding,  and,  of  course,  she 
would  not  know  where  to  communicate  with  me. 
My  heart  leapt  at  the  thought  that  she  was  free  ;  it 
sank  again  at  the  thought  that  she  might  be  penni- 
less and  unprotected  amongst  strangers.  At  the 
same  time  I  decided  that  I  would  not  give  him  any 
undue  advantage  over  me,  by  letting  him  understand 


"THAT'S  THE  MAN!"  263 

that  I  did  not  know  where  the  girl  was.  I  merely 
shrugged  my  shoulders  and  laughed. 

"  You  can  take  my  warning,  and  make  the  most 
of  it,"  he  said  abruptly.  "  li  Debora  does  not 
return  to  me  within  the  time  I  have  mapped  out — 
and  I  shall  not  even  tell  you  what  that  time  is — I  tell 
what  I  know  to  the  right  people." 

I  remembered  what  Debora  had  said  to  me  about 
her  certainty  that  this  man  had  caused  the  death  of 
Gregory  Pennington  ;  I  had  a  shot  at  that  matter 
now.  "  And  some  explanation  will  be  needed  re- 
garding the  man  you  allowed  to  be  shut  away  in  a 
grave  in  Penthouse  Prison,"  I  said  quietly. 

He  turned  his  head  sharply,  and  looked  at  me.  I 
regarded  him  steadily.  "  That's  a  matter  you'll 
have  to  explain,"  he  said,  with  a  grin. 

"  I  ?  "     It  was  my  turn  to  look  amazed. 

"  Yes — you,"  he  said.  "  I've  got  my  story  ready 
when  the  time  comes,  I  assure  you.  All  I've  had  to 
do  with  it  has  been  the  covering  up  of  your  traces  ; 
that  was  only  pity  for  a  forlorn  wretch,  hunted 
almost  to  death.  The  changing  of  the  clothes  was 
your  business.     I  don't  see  how  it  affects  me." 

We  had  come  to  a  point  where  he  was  turning  off 
in  one  direction  and  I  going  in  another.  I  gave  him 
my  final  shot  at  parting.  "  Not  if  Gregory  Penning- 
ton really  committed  suicide,"  I  said. 

I  looked  back  when  I  had  gone  a  little  way,  and 
saw  Bardolph  Just  in  the  same  attitude  in  which  I 
had  left  him,  looking  after  me.  It  was  as  though 
I  had  stricken  him  dumb  and  motionless  with  what  I 
had  said,  and  I  was  now  more  than  ever  convinced 
that  Debora  had  been  right  in  her  conjecture.  I 
had  done  one  good  thing,  at  least ;  he  would 
scarcely  dare  to  carry  out  his  threat  of  exposing 
me ;  he  might  think  that  I  had  some  inside  know- 
ledge of  which  he  was  ignorant. 

Meanwhile  I  was  seriously  troubled  about  Debora. 


264  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  know  what  had  become 
of  her,  or  where  she  was  ;  my  only  hope  was  that 
there  might  be  an  accidental  meeting  between  us. 
The  various  places  known  to  us  both  were  known  also 
to  our  enemies ;  if  Debora  had  gone  to  the  house  of 
Uncle  Zabdiel  she  would  in  all  probability  have  been 
seen  there  by  Bardolph  Just,  or  by  some  one  in  his 
pay.  Similarly,  she  would,  of  course,  keep  as  far  away 
as  possible  from  his  house  and  from  the  cottage 
where  once  I  had  left  her  with  Harvey  Scoffold.  I 
roamed  the  streets,  looking  into  every  face  that 
passed  me,  yet  never  seeing  the  face  for  which  I 
longed. 

An  inquest  on  Uncle  Zabdiel  took  place  in  the 
ordinary  course,  and  a  certain  John  New  gave 
evidence  of  his  slight  acquaintance  with  the  mur- 
dered gentleman,  and  of  what  he  had  seen  on  the 
night  of  the  murder.  The  astounding  fact  that 
Andrew  Ferkoe  had  slept  through  the  whole  business 
came  out  in  court,  and  was  the  immediate  cause  of 
some  extraordinary  newspaper  headlines,  in  which 
more  than  one  reporter  developed  a  hitherto  undis- 
covered talent  for  wit  at  Andrew's  expense.  It  may 
be  wondered  at,  perhaps,  that  I  should  have  p)er- 
suaded  the  boy  to  stick  to  his  original  story,  but, 
apart  from  anything  else,  I  had  strong  reasons  for 
preventing  any  suspicion  falling  upon  the  man 
Capper,  and,  above  all,  I  did  not  for  a  moment  believe 
that  Andrew  Ferkoe's  real  story  would  be  believed. 
I  had  grown  to  believe  it  myself,  but  I  thought  that 
for  many  reasons  it  might  be  well  if  Ferkoe  left  it  to 
be  imagined  that  he  had  really  slept,  and  had  seen 
nothing. 

So  the  matter  remained  a  mystery,  with  only  one 
curious  element  in  it,  for  me  at  least,  and  that  was  a 
little  point  that  came  out  in  the  evidence.  It  seemed 
that  no  finger  prints  had  been  discovered  anywhere, 
although  many  things  in  the  house  had  been  handled. 


"THAT'S    THE   MAN!"  265 

It  was  obvious  that  the  murderer  had  worn  gloves. 
That  seemed  to  point  to  a  more  professional  hand 
than  that  of  poor  Capper,  and  served  a  little  to 
upset  my  theory,  but  on  the  whole  I  believed  it  still. 

I  was  to  be  undeceived,  nevertheless,  and  that 
within  a  little  time.  On  the  very  day  of  the  in- 
quest, when  Andrew  Ferkoe  and  myself  were  walk- 
ing away,  we  turned,  with  almost  a  natural  impulse, 
towards  the  house  which  had  been  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy — perhaps  you  may  call  that  a  morbid 
impulse.  It  was  a  place  that  would  always  have  a 
curious  attraction  for  me,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
the  greater  part  of  my  life  had  been  spent  there, 
and  that  I  had  seen  many  curious  things  occur 
there,  and  that  once  poor  Debora  had  taken  refuge 
in  it.  It  was  all  ended  now  with  the  death  of  the 
man  who  had  worked  so  much  harm  to  me  ;  I  was 
thinking  about  it  all  as  I  stood  outside  the  place, 
when  I  felt  my  arm  clutched  convulsively,  and 
looked  round,  to  see  that  Andrew  Ferkoe,  with  a 
dropping  jaw,  was  staring  at  a  man  who  was  stand- 
ing at  a  little  distance  from  us,  also  watching  the 
house — a  man  dressed  as  a  labourer. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  I  whispered.  I  could 
not  see  the  man's  face  from  where  I  stood  ;  his  cap 
was  drawn  down  at  one  side,  so  as  partially  to 
conceal  it. 

"  That's  the  man  !  "  whispered  Andrew,  in  a 
shaking  voice.  "  I  know  the  clothes,  and  I  saw 
his  face  for  a  moment  when  he  turned  this  way." 

"  Pull  yourself  together,  and  don't  look  as  if 
you'd  seen  a  ghost,"  I  whispered  sharply.  "  We'll 
follow  the  man,  and  see  where  he  goes.  As  he 
hasn't  seen  you,  go  on  ahead  a  bit,  and  then  turn 
so  that  you  can  see  his  face  ;  then  come  back  to  me." 

The  youth  hurried  away ;  walked  past  the  man 
with  his  long  stride ;  then  came  back.  I  saw  the 
man  glance  at  him  for  a  moment  sharply  as  he 


266  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

came  past ;  then  Andrew  came  up  to  me,  his  face 
white  with  excitement. 

"  That's  the  man  !   I'm  certain  of  it,"  he  said. 

We  walked  for  a  long  way  after  the  man,  until  at 
last  he  seemed  to  have  some  suspicion  concerning 
us.  Once  or  twice  he  stopped,  and,  of  course,  we 
stopped  also  ;  then  at  last  he  turned  about,  and 
came  straight  back  towards  where  we  waited. 

He  carried  his  head  low,  but  I  thought  I  knew  the 
bend  of  his  shoulders ;  I  was  convinced  that  in  a 
moment  he  would  look  up,  and  I  should  see  William 
Capper  looking  at  me. 

But  I  was  wrong.  For  when  he  looked  up,  with 
a  sullen  glance  of  defiance,  I  saw  that  it  was  George 
Rabbit  i 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE. 

Mr.  George  Rabbit  looked  me  up  and  down  with 
a  new  expression  of  countenance.  I  noticed,  too, 
that  some  of  his  alertness  was  gone,  and  that  his 
narrow,  shifty  eyes  avoided  mine.  He  had  no 
reason  to  think  that  I  should  suspect  him  of  the 
murder  of  my  Uncle  Zabdiel ;  nevertheless,  he 
looked  at  me  resentfully,  as  though,  before  even 
I  had  spoken,  he  knew  I  was  going  to  accuse 
him  of  it. 

"  Wotjer  mean  by  follerin'  a  honest  man  about 
Uke  this  'ere  ?  "  he  demanded  savagely.  "  If  I  'ad 
my  rights,  I  ought  to  be  foUerin'  you,  Mr.  Jail-bird — 
seein'  wot  I  know  abaht  yer."  Then,  as  I  said 
nothing,  but  looked  at  him  steadily,  he  broke  out 
more  fiercely  :  "  W'y  don't  yer  speak  ?  Wot  'ave 
yer  got  against  me,  eh  ?  " 

I  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  suddenly  wrenched 
his  hand  round,  so  that  I  could  look  at  the  palm 
of  it ;  then  I  bent  forward,  and  whispered  to  him 
swiftly  :  "  There's  blood  on  your  hands  !  " 

He  struggled  faintly  for  a  moment  to  get  free  ; 
his  face  had  gone  to  a  sickly  green  colour.  "  You're 
mad — stark,  starin',  ravin*  mad !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Don't  you  say  sich  things  against  me,  or  I'll 
blab — sure  as  death  !  " 

267 


268  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  Death's  tlie  word,"  I  retorted.  "  Now,  George 
Rabbit,  we've  got  to  talk  over  this  thing,  and  we 
may  as  well  do  it  quietly.  Take  me  to  some  place 
where  I  can  say  what  I  have  to  say." 

He  hesitated  for  a  moment,  undecided  whether  to 
treat  the  matter  with  defiance,  or  to  accede  to  my 
demands  ;  at  last  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  spat 
emphatically  on  the  ground,  and  turned  to  lead 
the  way.  He  turned  back  again  a  moment 
later,  and  looked  at  Andrew  Ferkoe  with  a  new 
resentment. 

"  Wot's  this  chap  ^ot  to  do  wiv  it  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  'Ave  you  bin  blabbm'  to  'im  abaht  it  ?  " 
.    "  There  was  no  necessity  to  do  that,"  I  replied 
quietly.     "  He  saw  you  do  it.     Now,  don't  stand 
talking  here  ;  it  might  be  dangerous." 

He  stood  in  an  amazed  silence  for  a  moment, 
and  then  turned  and  walked  away.  We  followed 
him  rapidly,  noticing  that  every  now  and  then  he 
turned  to  look  back  over  his  shoulder,  as  if  undecided 
whether,  after  all,  he  would  not  turn  back  alto- 
gether, and  refuse  to  go  further.  But  he  went  on, 
nevertheless,  and  at  last  brought  us  to  a  little 
public  house  in  a  side  street.  Thrusting  open  a 
door  with  his  shoulder,  he  went  in,  leaving  us  to 
follow  ;  and  we  presently  found  ourselves  in  a  little 
room  with  a  sanded  floor — a  species  of  bar  parlour. 
There  the  three  of  us  sat  down  round  a  httle  beer- 
stained  table,  and  after  I  had  ordered  refreslunents 
(with  a  double  quantity  for  George  Rabbit,  because 
he  took  the  first  at  a  gulp),  I  began  to  say  what 
was  in  my  mind. 

"  When  I  saw  you  first  to-day  you  were  looking 
at  a  house  where  an  old  man  was  murdered  a  few 
days  back,"  I  began. 

"Wot  of  it  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  A  lot  of  people 
'ave  bin  lookin'  at  that  'ouse  ;  they  always  does 
w'en  anythink  Uke  that's  'appened." 


William  capper  comes  to  life.   269 

"  You  were  obliged  to  go  back  to  it  —  the 
man  who  commits  a  murder  always  must,  you 
know.  You  wanted  to  see  if  any  one  had 
suspected   you." 

The  man  glanced  nervously  round  the  room,  and 
then  thrust  his  face  towards  mine  across  the  table. 
"  Wot's  this  'ere  talk  abaht  a  murder  ?  "  he  whis- 
pered. "  Wot's  this  'ere  talk  abaht  this  chap 
'aving  seen  me  do  it  ?  Wot's  this  business  abaht 
takin'  away  a  honest  man's  character  ?  '" 

"  When  you  broke  into  the  house  the  other  night, 
and  came  face  to  face  with  Zabdiel  Blowfield,  and 
got  the  stick  out  of  his  hand  and  killed  him,  someone 
was  watching  you,"  I  answered  steadily. 

"  Watchin'  me  !  W'y,  the  ole  chap  lived  alone  !  " 
he  exclaimed  incautiously.  Then,  seeing  the  smile 
on  my  face,  he  went  on  hurriedly,  "  Leastways, 
so  I've  bin  told,  on'y  I  don't  know  nothink 
abaht  it." 

"  You  were  sent  there  first  by  Martha  Leach.  My 
uncle  wanted  to  see  you,  because  he  thought  your 
evidence  might  be  useful  in  getting  me  back  to  my 
prison,"  I  went  on  remorselessly.  "  That  gave  you 
the  idea  of  robbing  the  old  man  ;  you  didn't  stick 
at  murder  when  you  were  pushed  to  it.  This  lad 
here  " — I  indicated  Andrew  Ferkoe  as  I  spoke — 
"  was  asleep  in  the  house  at  the  time,  as  you  would 
have  heard,  if  you  had  been  at  the  inquest.  He  got 
out  of  bed  and  saw  you.  How  else  do  you  suppose 
he  was  able  to  point  you  out  to-day  as  the  man  he 
saw  in  the  house  ?  " 

George  Rabbit  looked  from  one  to  the  other  of  us 
narrowly  ;  then  he  began  to  speak  almost  as  if  to 
himself.  "  Now  I  comes  to  think  of  it,  I  did  'ear 
a  noise  up  above  in  the  'ouse.  So  it  was  you,  was 
it  ?  "  he  said,  turning  wrathfully  on  Andrew  Ferkoe. 
"  My  God !  it's  a  lucky  thing  for  you  I  didn't  find 
you  ;  I'd  'ave  put  your  light  out !  " 


270  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I  know  that,"  answered  Andrew  quietly.  "  That 
was  why  I  didn't  make  a  noise." 

"  Well,  an'  wot's  the  little  game  now  ?  "  asked 
Rabbit  impudently,  as  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair 
and  folded  his  arms.  "  Mr.  Jail-bird,  let's  'ear  wot 
you've  got  to  say.  You  can't  bring  a  charge  like 
this  against  a  honest  man  without  some  proof.  I 
'ave  'eard  that  no  finger  prints  'ave  bin  discovered, 
so  that  you  won't  git  much  that  way." 

"  I  can  find  a  dozen  wa)^  of  running  you  tO' 
earth,"  I  replied.     "  On  the  other  hand,  it  may  not 
pay  me  to  do  so." 

"  Yus,  that's  the  trouble,  ain't  it  ?  "  he  said  with 
a  sneer.  "  They  might  ask  you  awkward  questions, 
or  I  might  'ave  a  word  to  say  abaht  the  gent  wot's 
takin'  my  character  away.  Then  again,  wot's  *is 
nibs  'ere  bin  sajdn'  at  the  inquest  ?  " 

I  was  bound  to  confess  that  Andrew  had  stated 
that  he  had  slept  soundly  on  the  night  of  the  murder, 
and  had  heard  nothing  and  seen  nothing.  George 
Rabbit,  growing  more  confident  with  every  moment, 
grinned  and  kissed  his  grimy  finger-tips  in  the 
direction  of  Andrew. 

"  An'  now  'e'll  '  ave  to  tell  anuwer  tale !  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  If  it  comes  to  that,  'oo's  to 
say  'e  didn't  do  the  job  'imself ;  'e  was  in  the 
'ouse." 

It  was  not  my  purpose  to  bring  the  man  to 
justice  ;  it  would  go  hard  with  me,  as  well,  perhaps, 
with  Andrew  Ferkoe,  if  I  made  any  attempt  to  slip 
a  noose  about  the  fellow's  neck.  Yet,  much  as  I 
loathed  the  man,  I  realised  that  the  killing  of  my 
Uncle  Zabdiel  had  not  been  any  premeditated  affair  ; 
it  had  been  a  blow  struck,  brutally  enough,  for  his 
own  liberty  by  this  man  who  now  sat  before  me. 
My  purpose  was  to  use  him,  if  possible,  as  an  instru- 
ment for  myself,  to  trade  upon  my  knowledge  of 
what  he  had  done,  and  so  bind  him  first  to  silence 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.     271 

about  myself  and  who  I  was,  and  next  to  assist  me 
in  the  finding  of  Debora  and  the  destruction  of 
Bardolph  Just's  plans.  I  set  about  that  J[now 
without  more  ado. 

"  As  I  have  said,  it  would  be  easy  enough  to 
prove  the  matter,"  I  answered,  "  and  I  should  have 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  you  hang  ;  but  that's  not 
my  plan.  We  are  the  only  people  who  know  the 
truth,  and  we  shall  not  speak," 

I  saw  Andrew  Ferkoe  glance  at  me  swiftly  for  a 
moment ;  as  for  Rabbit,  he  sat  gaping  at  me  as 
though  he  had  not  heard  aright.  "  You  mean  it  ?  " 
he  gasped. 

"  Of  course  I  do  ;  I'm  a  man  of  my  word,"  I 
answered  him.  "  But  there  is  a  condition  attaching 
to  it,  and  that  condition  must  be  respected.  I'm 
not  the  man  to  be  played  with,  and  I've  got  you 
in  a  tighter  place  than  you  think.  Play  with 
me,  and  you'll  play  with  fire ;  of  that  I  warn 
you.'* 

"  Now,  look  'ere,  guv'nor,"  answered  the  man  in 
an  altered  tone,  "  am  I  likely  to  play  any  tricks, 
seein'  'ow  I'm  placed  ?  Gents  both,  I  give  yer  my 
solemn  word  I  never  meant  to  put  the  old  gent's 
light  out.  I  jist  meant  to  git  wot  I  could  quietly. 
I  'ad  a  sort  of  idea  that  'e  might  keep  money  on 
the  premises.  As  it  was,  I  got  next  to  nuffink,  an' 
wot  I  did  git  I  don't  dare  part  wiv,  for  fear  I  should 
be  nabbed.  I  never  thought  'e'd  wake  up,  but  w'en 
'e  come  out  there,  an'  tried  to  'it  me  wiv  the  stick, 
I  jist  jerked  it  out  of  'is  'and,  an'  gave  'im  one 
for  'imself  to  keep  'im  quiet.  I  ain't  excusin' 
meself ;  I  know  I  done  it,  an'  that's  all  there  is 
to  it." 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  will  know  me,  if  you  know 
me  atjall,  always  as  John  New  ;  the  other  man,  once 
a  fellow-prisoner  of  yours,  lies  buried  in  that  prison. 
Am  I  right  ?  "     I  asked  the  question  sternly. 


272  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  I'll  take  my  oath  of  it,"  he  asserted  solemnly. 
"  W'y,  now  I  come  to  look  at  yer,"  he  added,  with 
a  grin,  "  you  ain't  no  more  like  Norton  'Yde  than 
wot  I  am." 

"  Don't  overdo  it,"  I  suggested.  "  Now,  in  the 
second  place,  you  remember  a  young  lady — a  ward 
of  Dr.  Just  ?  " 

"  Yus,  I  know  'er  ;  wot  of  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  She  has  left  the  doctor's  house — has  run  away," 
I  answered.  "  She  doesn't  know  where  to  find  me, 
and  I  don't  know  where  to  find  her.  She  may  be 
wandering  about  London  friendless  and  without 
money.     Can  you  help  me  to  find  her  ?  " 

"  Do  yer  mean  it  ?  "  he  asked  incredulously. 

I  nodded.  "  Under  ordinary  circumstances  you 
are  the  last  man  in  the  world  that  I  would  select 
for  such  work,  but  I  must  use  the  tools  ready  to  my 
hand,"  I  said.  "  If  you  play  tricks  with  me,  you'll 
know  what  to  expect,  because  our  friend  here  " — I 
indicated  Andrew — "  will  be  only  too  ready  to  speak 
and  to  tell  what  he  knows,  without  bringing  me  into 
the  matter  at  all.  But  I  think,  for  your  own  sake, 
you'll  play  the  game  fairly." 

In  his  eagerness  he  began  to  take  all  manner  of 
strange  oaths  as  to  what  he  meant  to  do,  and  as  to 
the  absolute  dependence  that  was  to  be  placed  upon 
his  word.  I  interrupted  him  sharply  by  telUng  him 
that  I  looked  for  deeds,  and  not  words,  and  quite 
humbly  and  gratefully  he  promised  to  do  all  in  his 
power.  I  gave  him  an  address  at  which  I  could  be 
found,  and  presently  saw  him  go  lurching  away, 
with  his  head  turned  every  now  and  then  to  look 
back  at  me.  I  seemed  to  picture  him  going  through 
life  like  that,  remembering  always  the  dead  thing 
he  had  left  lying  on  certain  stairs  in  a  dismal 
old  house. 

And  now  I  come  to  that  point  in  my  story  when 
my  own  helplessness  was,  for  a  time  at  least,  borne 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.     273 

in  upon  me  more  strongly  than  ever.  I  had  no  very 
great  hopes  that  where  I  had  failed  George  Rabbit 
would  succeed,  and  I  blamed  myself  for  having 
placed  any  reliance  on  him.  I  wandered  about 
London  restlessly  for  a  day  or  two,  as  I  had  done 
before,  hoping  always  that  any  slight  girlish  figure 
going  on  before  me  might  in  a  moment  turn  its 
head  and  show  me  the  face  of  Debora ;  but 
that  never  happened.  What  did  happen  was 
that  I  had  an  unexpected  meeting  with  Bardolph 
Just. 

The  newspapers  had,  of  course,  given  my  address, 
as  an  important  witness  at  the  inquest  on  Uncle 
Zabdiel,  so  that  I  was  not  altogether  surprised  to 
find,  one  evening  when  I  went  back  to  my  little 
lodging,  tired  out,  and  weary,  and  dispirited,  that 
Bardolph  Just  was  waiting  for  me.  I  was  aware  of 
his  presence  in  my  room  before  ever  I  got  to  the 
house,  for  as  I  came  up  the  street  I  happened  to 
raise  my  eyes  to  the  window,  and  there  he  was, 
lounging  half  out  of  it,  smoking  a  cigar  and  surveying 
me.  I  wondered  what  his  visit  might  portend.  I 
hoped  that  he  might  have  discovered  something" 
about  Debora,  and  that  I  might  get  the  information 
from  him. 

On  opening  the  door  of  the  room  and  going  in  I 
saw  that  he  was  not  alone  ;  Harvey  Scoffold  sat  there, 
quite  as  though  he  had  come,  in  a  sense,  as  a  pro- 
tector for  his  patron.  I  put  my  back  against  the 
closed  door,  and  looked  from  one  man  to  the  other, 
and  waited  for  what  they  had  to  say.  Harvey 
Scoffold  smiled  a  little  weakly,  and  waved  a  hand 
to  me  ;  Bardolph  Just  said  nothing,  but  looked  me 
up  and  down  with  a  fine  air  of  contempt.  I  judged 
that  he  had  news  for  me,  and  that,  for  the  moment 
at  least,  he  felt  that  he  had  triumphed.  Almost  I 
seemed  to  read  into  his  mind,  and  to  know  what  that 
news  was.     But  though  I  thought  I  knew  the  man 

s 


274  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

well,  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  vindictiveness  he 
now  displayed. 

"  You  must  excuse  this  intrusion,"  he  said  quietly, 
"  but  I  felt  sure  that  you  would  be  anxious  concern- 
ing my  ward,  and  I  thought  it  best  to  let  you  know 
at  once  that  she  is  quite  safe.  I  did  you  an  injustice 
in  suggesting  that  she  was  with  you  ;  for  that  I 
apologise  most  humbly." 

"  Where  is  she  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Is  it  likely  that  I 
shall  tell  you  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I  won't  tell  you  where 
she  is  ;  for  your  satisfaction,  however,  you  may 
understand  that  you  have  been  the  cause  of  her 
passing  several  miserable  nights  and  days  penniless 
in  London " 

"  You  were  the  cause  of  that !  "  I  broke  in  hotly. 

"  Pardon  me  ;  had  you  never  appeared  upon  the 
scene  she  would  have  been  quite  content  to  remain 
under  my  care,"  he  retorted. 

"  Had  I  never  appeared  upon  the  scene,  she  would 
before  this  have  been  in  her  grave,"  I  said 

He  showed  his  teeth  for  a  moment  in  a  grin,  but 
said  nothing  to  that.  "  She  was  discovered  in 
almost  a  dying  condition.  I  was  communicated  with 
and  went  to  her  at  once,"  he  proceeded.  "  She  is 
now  in  a  private  nursing  home,  and  so  soon  as  she 
has  recovered  I  intend  to  take  her  abroad.  I  need 
not  assure  you  that  she  is  receiving,  and  will  receive, 
every  possible  attention  and  luxury  that  money  can 
command." 

"  And  you  came  to  teU  me  this  ?  "  I  enquired 
bitterly. 

•'  Out  of  pure  kindness,"  he  answered  with  a  grin. 
"  I  knew  you  would  be  anxious,  and  I  knew  that  you 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  young  lady."  He  rose 
to  his  feet,  and  carefully  polished  his  hat  upon  his 
sleeve,  holding  the  hat  in  his  right  hand,  and  turning 
it  dexterously  round  and  round  against  the  arm  he 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.      275 

still  carried  in  a  sling.  "  But  I  came  also  to  say," 
he  went  on  in  a  sterner  tone,  "  that  with  this  ends 
your  connection  with  her  and  with  me.  I  am  not  to 
be  trifled  with  again  ;  keep  out  of  my  way." 

"  One  moment.  Dr.  Just,"  I  interposed,  keeping 
my  place  before  the  door.  "  As  you  have  been  so 
frank  with  me,  it  is  fair  that  I  should  be  as  frank 
with  you.  I  warn  you  that  I  shall  take  not  the 
faintest  notice  of  your  request,  and  that  I  shall,  if 
possible,  discover  the  lady.  My  power  is  a  greater 
one  than  yours,  because  my  power  is  from  the  heart. 
I  shaU  beat  you  yet ;  I  shall  save  her  yet  !  " 

He  laughed  and  raised  his  eyebrows,  and  turned 
towards  Harvey  Scoff  old.  "  Did  you  ever  see  such 
a  fellow  ?  "  he  asked.  "He  is  as  full  of  words  as 
ever,  although  he  knows  that  he  can  do  nothing." 

I  opened  the  door,  and  saw  the  two  men  pass  out 
and  go  down  the  street.  I  watched  them  gloomily 
for  a  moment  or  two  from  the  open  window.  I  was 
almost  in  a  mood  to  follow  them,  but  I  realised  that 
they  were  scarcely  likely  to  lead  me  to  Debora.  I 
must  be  patient ;  I  must  hope  for  a  miracle  to  happen 
to  show  me  the  way  to  Debora. 

After  all,  it  was  no  miracle  that  happened,  for  one 
could  scarcely  connect  a  miracle  with  the  prosaic 
figure  of  Andrew  Ferkoe.  As  I  looked  from  my 
v\dndow  I  saw  Andrew  coming  down  the  street, 
reading  a  newspaper,  and  reading  it  so  intently  that 
he  was  continually  knocking  against  people  on  the 
same  pavement,  and  continually,  as  I  could  see, 
muttering  apologies,  and  then  resuming  his  reading. 
I  was  not  best  pleased  to  see  him  at  that  time ; 
for  although  he  still  lodged  with  me  imtil  such  time  as 
I  could  decide  what  to  do  with  him,  he  spent  a  great 
part  of  the  day  abroad  in  the  streets.  Now,  how- 
ever, after  knocking  at  the  door  and  being  admitted, 
he  came  upstairs  at  a  great  rate,  and  burst  into  my 
room  with  the  newspaper  in  his  hand. 


276  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"I've  found  her  !  "  he  exclaimed,  excitedly  waving 
the  paper.     "  I've  found  her  !  " 

I  snatched  the  paj)er  from  him,  and  began  to  read 
it  eagerly  at  the  place  where  his  trembling  finger  had 
pointed.  The  paragraph  was  headed,  "  Strange  Loss 
of  Memory,"  and  referred  to  a  young  lady  bearing 
the  name  of  Debora  Matchwick,  who  had  been  found 
in  an  almost  unconscious  condition  from  privation,  on 
a  seat  in  a  public  park,  and  had  been  conveyed  to 
the  Great  Southern  Hospital.  For  a  time  it  had 
been  impossible  to  discover  who  she  was,  as  she 
appeared  to  have  entirely  forgotten  any  of  the  past 
events  of  her  hfe,  or  even  her  own  name  ;  but  at 
last  she  had  given  the  name,  and  enquiries  had 
elicited  the  fact  that  she  had  a  guardian  living  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Highgate.  This  gentleman — 
the  famous  scientist  and  retired  physician.  Dr. 
Bardolph  Just — had  been  communicated  with,  and 
had  at  once  visited  the  young  lady.  So  soon  as  she 
had  recovered  she  would  go  abroad  for  rest  and 
change.  There  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  that  she 
would  ultimately  recover  completely. 

I  almost  hugged  Andrew  Ferkoe  in  my  delight. 
I  laughed  to  think  how  easily  the  discovery  had 
been  made.  I  laughed  also  at  the  remembrance  of 
how  Dr.  Just  had  spoken  of  the  "  private  nursing 
home,"  and  how  now  I  was,  after  all,  to  take  the 
wind  out  of  his  sails.  I  rushed  off  at  once  to  the 
Great  Southern  Hospital. 

Every  sort  of  difficulty  was  placed  in  my  way. 
It  was  not  an  ordinary  visiting  day,  and  I  could 
not  be  admitted.  The  young  lady  had  been  placed 
in  a  private  ward,  it  was  true,  but  the  regulations 
were  very  strict.  More  than  that,  it  was  impera- 
tive that  she  should  not  be  excited  in  any  way. 

"  I  will  not  excite  her  ;  I  am  her  greatest  friend, 
and  I  know  that  she  has  been  longing  to  see  me," 
I  pleaded. 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.    277 

"  But  she  has  a  visitor  with  her  now,"  the 
young  doctor  urged.  "  That  visitor  is  her 
guardian.'* 

I  was  now  more  than  ever  determined  that  I 
would  see  Debora  ;  I  pleaded  again  that  one  extra 
visitor,  under  the  circumstances,  could  surely  make 
no  difference.  "  Besides,"  I  added,  "  I  know  Dr. 
Just  very  well." 

So  at  last  I  had  my  way,  and  I  followed  the  young 
doctor  through  the  quiet  place  until  I  came  to  the 
little  private  room  where  Debora  lay — a  room  formed 
by  raising  walls  nearly  to  the  ceiling  in  a  great  ward, 
leaving  a  corridor  down  the  centre.  I  went  in, 
with  my  heart  beating  heavily  ;  and  the  first  person 
I  faced  was  Dr.  Just. 

I  never  saw  a  man  so  astonished  in  all  my  life  ; 
I  was  afraid  he  was  going  to  lose  his  presence  of 
mind,  and  have  me  bundled  out  then  and  there, 
after  making  something  of  a  scene.  But  I  will  do 
him  the  justice  to  say  that  his  conduct  was  admir- 
able ;  he  accepted  the  inevitable,  and  bowed  sHghtly 
in  my  direction  as  the  doctor  left  me  inside  the 
little  room  and  closed  the  door. 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  Debora,  lying 
white-faced  among  her  pillows.  I  noted  with 
gratitude  how  her  eyes  lighted  up  as  she  turned 
slightly  in  my  direction,  and  held  out  a  white  hand 
towards  me.  I  could  not  help  it ;  I  fell  on  my 
knees  beside  the  bed,  and  put  the  hand  to  my 
lips  as  the  tears  sprang  to  my  eyes. 

"  Thank  God  !  "  I  said,  "  thank  God  !  " 

"  So  you  don't  heed  warnings,"  said  the  doctor, 
in  a  sarcastic  tone.  "  It  is  only  for  the  sake  of 
this  dear  girl  that  I  have  not  had  you  turned  out 
of  the  place  ;  I  can't  understand  how  in  the  world 
you  found  out  where  she  was." 

I  took  no  notice  of  him.  I  turned  to  the  girl,  and, 
still  holding  her  hands,  began  to  speak  earnestly. 


278  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  Debora,"  I  said,  "  my  sweet  Debora,  I  want 
you  to  listen  to  me,  and  not  to  this  man.  I  have 
found  you,  and  I  do  not  mean  to  lose  sight  of  you 
again.  You  will  soon  be  well  and  strong,  and  then 
you  will  go  away  from  this  place — with  me." 

"  Yes,  with  you,"  she  answered,  with  her  eyes 
turned  to  mine,  and  her  hands  gripping  mine 
convulsively.     "  With  you  !  " 

I  knew  that  the  time  was  short,  and  that  at  any 
moment  the  young  doctor  or  a  nurse  might  appear, 
and  might  cut  short  our  interview.  I  saw,  too, 
that  Debora  was  getting  excited,  and  I  judged  that 
Bardolph  Just  nught  take  it  upon  himself  to  act 
the  part  of  doctor  as  well  as  guardian,  and  have 
me  turned  away.  Therefore  I  said  what  I  had  to 
say  quickly. 

"  You  will  wait  for  me  here,  Debora  ;  you  will 
not  let  anyone  take  you  away  without  letting  me 
know.  See,  I  am  writing  my  address  here,  and 
that  I  will  give  to  the  doctor  I  saw  just  now — he 
can  send  for  me  if  necessary.  You  are  not  to  go 
away  with  anyone  else." 

"  I  promise,"  she  said,  weakly. 

"  And  now  listen  to  me,"  broke  in  the  harsh  voice 
of  Bardolph  Just.  "  This  is  a  crisis  in  the  lives  of 
the  three  of  us,  and  I  am  not  to  be  set  aside.  When 
the  time  comes  that  you  can  be  removed,  Debora, 
you  are  going  away  with  me!" 

"  I  am  not !  I  am  not !  "  she  cried,  still  clinging  to 
my  hand. 

"  You  are  going  away  with  me,  or  else  your 
friend  there  goes  back  to  his  prison.  Choose  !  "  He 
stood  looking  at  her,  and  I  saw  as  well  as  she  did 
that  now  his  mind  was  made  up. 

"  You  wouldn't  do  that  ?  "  she  said  breathlessly. 

"  I  would,"  he  said.  "  You  go  away  with  me, 
or  I  follow  this  man  when  he  leaves  this  place,  and 
I  give  him  in  charge  to  the  first  constable  I  meet. 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.     279 

as  the  escaped  convict,  Norton  Hyde.  And  I 
follow  that  charge  up  until  I  see  him  back  within 
his  prison  walls,  with  something  more  than  nine 
years  of  servitude  before  him.  If  you  want  him  to 
keep  his  liberty,  send  him  away  now." 

She  began  to  weep  despairingly,  while  I,  on  the 
horns  of  this  new  dilemma,  did  my  best  to  comfort 
her.  And  suddenly,  with  all  her  heart  set  on  my 
welfare,  she  announced  her  decision. 

"  I  promise  that  I  will  go  with  you,"  she  said  to 
Bardolph  Just  in  a  whisper. 

"  No — no  !  you  must  not  promise  that !  "  I  urged, 
springing  to  my  feet,  and  facing  the  other  man. 
"  You  shall  not !  '' 

"  I  must,  I  must,  for  your  sake  !  "  she  answered. 
"  My  dear,  it  will  all  come  right  in  time,  if  you  will 
be  patient.  We  shall  meet  when  all  this  is  over  and 
done  with.     Good-bye  !  " 

I  would  have  said  more  then,  but  at  that  moment 
the  door  opened,  and  the  young  doctor  came  in. 
One  glance  at  the  girl  was  sufficient ;  with  an  impa- 
tient gesture  he  ordered  Bardolph  Just  and  myself 
to  go,  and  hastily  summoned  the  nurse.  So  we 
marched  out,  side  by  side,  without  a  word  until  we 
reached  the  street, 

"  Understand  me,"  said  Bardolph  Just  quietly, 
"  I  shall  keep  my  word," 

"  And  I  shall  keep  mine,"  I  retorted,  as  I  turned 
on  my  heel  and  left  him. 

Brave  words,  as  you  will  doubtless  think  ;  yet 
even  as  I  said  them  I  realised  how  helpless  I  was. 
Debora,  for  my  sake,  would  go  back  to  that  horrible 
house,  there  to  live,  perhaps,  in  safety  for  a  time, 
until  the  doctor  could  devise  some  cunning  death 
for  her.  And  I  supposed  that  in  due  course  I 
should  hear  of  that ;  and  should  know  the  truth, 
and  yet  should  be  able  to  say  nothing.  Almost  I 
was  resolved  to  risk  my  own  neck  in  saving  her  ; 


28o  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

almost  I  determined  to  put  that  old  threat  into 
execution,  and  kill  the  man.  But  I  had  no  stomach 
for  murder  when  I  came  to  think  of  the  matter  :  I 
could  only  beat  my  brains  in  a  foolish  attempt  to 
find  some  way  out  of  the  tangle. 

Thus  nearly  a  week  went  by — a  miserable  week, 
during  which  I  haunted  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
hospital  and  wandered  the  streets  aimlessly,  turn- 
ing over  scheme  after  scheme,  only  to  reject  each 
one  as  useless.  Then,  at  last,  one  day  I  went  to  the 
hospital,  and  enquired  for  Miss  Debora  Matchwick, 
and  asked  if  I  might  see  her. 

I  was  told  that  she  was  gone.  Her  guardian  had 
called  on  the  previous  day  with  a  carriage,  and  had 
taken  her  home  ;  he  had  made  a  generous  donation 
to  the  funds  of  the  hospital,  in  recognition  of  his 
gratitude  for  the  kindness  the  young  lady  had 
received.  So  I  understood  that  he  had  succeeded, 
and  that  I  had  failed. 

The  man  had  succeeded,  too,  in  putting  the 
strongest  possible  barrier  between  the  girl  and 
myself,  in  invoking  that  bogey  of  my  safety.  I 
knew  that  he  could  hold  her  more  strongly  with 
that  than  with  anything  else  ;  I  felt  that  she  would 
refuse,  for  my  sake,  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
me.  Nevertheless,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
must  make  one  last  desperate  effort  to  see  her,  or 
to  see  Bardolph  Just.  In  a  sense,  I  was  safe, 
because  I  knew  I  was  always  a  standing  menace  to 
the  man,  and  that  he  feared  me. 

I  went  straight  from  the  hospital  to  the  house  at 
Highgate.  I  had  no  definite  })lan  in  my  mind  ;  I 
determined  to  act  just  as  circumstances  should 
suggest.  I  rang  the  bell  boldly,  and  a  servant 
whom  I  knew  appeared  at  the  door.  He  was  in 
the  very  act  of  slamming  it  again  in  my  face, 
when  I  thrust  my  way  in  and  closed  the  door 
behind  me. 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.    281 

"  Don't  try  that  game  again,"  I  said  sternly, 
"  or  you'll  repent  it.     Where's  your  master  ?  " 

"  I  have  my  orders,  sir,"  he  began,  "  and  I  dare 
not " 

"  I'll  see  you  don't  get  into  trouble,"  I  broke  in. 
"  I  want  to  see  Dr.  Just." 

"  But  he's  not  here,  sir,"  said  the  man, 
and  I  saw  that  he  was  speaking  the  truth. 
"  Dr.  Just  and  the  young  lady  have  gone  away, 
sir." 

"  Do  you  know  where  they've  gone  ?  "  I  asked  ; 
but  the  man  only  shook  his  head. 

I  stood  there  debating  what  to  do,  and  wondering 
if  by  chance  the  doctor  might  have  carried  out  his 
original  intention  of  going  abroad.  Then  a  door 
opened  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  and  Martha  Leach 
came  out  and  advanced  towards  me.  She  stopped 
on  seeing  who  the  intruder  was  ;  then  with  a  gesture 
dismissed  the  servant,  and  silently  motioned  to  me 
to  follow  her  into  another  room.  It  was  the  dining- 
room,  and  when  I  had  gone  in  she  shut  the  door, 
and  stood  waiting  for  me  to  speak.  I  noticed  that 
she  seemed  thinner  than  of  old,  and  that  there  were 
streaks  of  grey  in  her  black  hair.  She  stood  twist- 
ing her  white  fingers  over  and  over  while  she 
watched  me. 

"  I  came  to  see  the  doctor,"  I  said  abruptly. 
"  Where  is  he  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  know  ?  "  she  demanded. 
"  You've  been  turned  out  of  this  place  ;  you  ought 
not  to  have  been  admitted  now." 

"  I  do  not  forget  the  assistance  you  rendered  in 
turning  me  out,"  I  said.  "  Nevertheless  I  am  here 
now,  and  I  want  an  answer  to  my  question,  I  want 
to  find  the  girl  Debora  Match  wick." 

She  stood  for  a  long  time,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  in  a 
rigid  attitude,  with  her  fingers  twining  and  twisting, 
and  with  her  eyes  bent  to  the  floor.     Then  suddenly 


282  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

she  looked  up,  and  her  manner  was  changed  and 
eager. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  would  help  me  ?  "  was  her 
astonishing  remark. 

"  Try  me,"  I  said  quietly. 

"  I  suppose  you  love  this  slip  of  a  girl — in  a 
fashion  you  call  love,"  she  flashed  out  at  me.  "  I 
can't  understand  it  myself — but  then,  my  nature's 
a  different  one.  You  would  no  more  understand 
what  rages  here  within  me  " — she  smote  herself 
ruthlessly  on  the  breast  with  both  hands — "  than 
I  can  understand  how  any  man  can  be  attracted 
by  a  bread-and-butter  chUd  like  that.  But,  per- 
haps, you  can  grasp  a  little  what  I  suffer  when  I 
know  that  that  man  and  that  girl  are  together — 
miles  away  from  here — and  that  I  am  here,  tied 
here  by  his  orders." 

"  I  think  I  can  understand,"  I  said  quietly, 
determined  in  my  own  mind  to  play  upon  that 
mad  jealousy  for  my  own  ends.  "  And  I  am  sorry 
for  you." 

"  I  don't  want  your  sorrow,  and  I  don't  want 
your  pity ! "  she  exclaimed,  fiercely  brushing  away 
tears  that  had  gathered  in  her  eyes.  "  Only  I 
shall  go  mad  if  this  goes  on  much  longer ;  I  can't 
bear  it.  He  insulted  me  to  my  face  before  her  on 
the  day  they  left  for  Green  Barn  together — yester- 
day that  was." 

"  And  yet  you  love  him — you  would  get  this  girl 
out  of  his  hands  if  you  could  ?  " 

"  I  would  kill  her  if  I  could,"  she  snarled.  "  I 
would  tear  her  hmb  from  limb  ;  I  would  mark  her 
prettiness  in  such  a  fashion  that  no  man  would  look 
at  her  again.    That's  what  I'd  do." 

"  You  want  me  to  help  you,"  I  reminded  her. 

"  Why  don't  you  have  some  pluck  ?  "  she  de- 
manded fiercely.  "  Why  don't  you  tear  her  out  of 
his  hands,  and  take  her  away  ?  " 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.     283 

*'  There  are  reasons  why  I  cannot  act  as  I  would," 
I  said.  "  But  I'll  do  this  ;  I'll  go  down  to  Green 
Barn,  and  I'll  try  to  persuade  her  to  go  away  with 
me.  You've  fought  against  that  all  the  time,  or  I 
might  have  succeeded  before,'* 

"  I  know — I  know  !  "  she  said.  "  I  hoped  to 
please  him  by  doing  that ;  I  hoped  that  some  day 
he  might  get  tired  of  her,  and  might  look  at  me 
again  as  he  looked  at  me  in  the  old  days.  But  now 
I'm  hopeless  ;  I  can  do  nothing  while  she  is  with 
him.  I'm  sorry — sorry  I  fought  against  you,"  she 
added,  in  a  lower  tone, 

"  I'll  do  my  best  to  help  you — and  the  girl,"  I 
said.  "  It  may  happen  that  you  may  get  your 
wish  sooner  than  you  anticipated  ;  I  beheve  that 
Bardolph  Just  means  to  kill  her." 

"If  he  doesn't,  I  shall !  "  she  snapped  at  me  as 
I  left  the  house. 

So  far  I  had  done  no  good,  save  in  discovering 
where  Bardolph  Just  and  Debora  had  gone.  It 
was  a  relief  to  me  to  know  that  they  had  not  gone 
abroad  ;  for  then  I  should  have  been  helpless  indeed. 
I  determined  that  I  would  go  at  once  down  into 
Essex  ;  it  would  be  some  satisfaction  at  least  to  be 
near  her. 

I  was  walking  rapidly  away  from  the  house  when 
I  heard  someone  following  me  ;  I  turned  suspiciously, 
and  saw  that  it  was  the  man  Capper.*:; 'He  came  up  to 
me  with  that  foolish  smile  hovering?{over  his  face, 
and  spoke  in  that  strange,  querulous  whisper  I  had 
heard  so  often. 

"  Forgive  an  old  man  speaking  to  you,  sir,"  he 
said — "  an  old  man  all  alone  in  the  world,  and  with 
no  friends.  I  saw  you  come  from  Dr.  Just's  house 
— good,  kind  Dr.  Just !  " 

I  felt  my  suspicions  of  him  beginning  to  rise  in 
my  mind  again,  despite  the  fact  that  the  face  he 
turned  to  me  was  that  of  a  simpleton.     I  recalled 


284  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

Debora's  words  to  me  when  she  had  wondered  if 
this  man  would  ever  speak. 

"  What  do  you  want  r  "  I  asked  him,  not  ungently. 

'*  I  want  to  find  Dr.  Just — good,  kind  Dr.  Just," 
he  whispered.  "  I  have  followed  him  a  long  time, 
but  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  miss  him.  I 
missed  him  in  a  crowd  in  a  street ;  now  I  find  that 
he  is  not  at  his  house." 

'*  You  are  very  devoted  to  Dr.  Just,"  I  observed. 
"  What  do  you  hope  to  gain  by  it  ?  " 

"  To  gain  ?  "  He  stared  at  me  with  that  curious 
smile  on  his  face.     "  What  should  I  gain  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  answered  him,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  may  some  day  gain  what  you  want." 

"  God  grant  I  may  !  "  The  answer  was  given  in 
an  entirely  different  voice,  and  I  looked  at  him  in 
a  startled  way  as  I  realised  at  last  the  truth  that 
for  some  time  at  least  he  had  been  shamming. 
I  dropped  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  spoke 
sternly  enough. 

"  Come  now,  let  this  pretence  be  ended,"  I  said. 
"  You're  as  sane  as  I  am — you  have  all  your  wits 
about  you.  Your  brain  is  clear ;  you  remember 
everything." 

We  were  in  a  quiet  lane  near  the  house,  and  there 
was  no  one  in  sight.  He  clasped  his  hands,  and 
raised  his  face — a  changed  face,  stern-set,  grim  and 
relentless — to  the  sky.  "  Dear  God  !  "  he  exclaimed 
passionately,  "  I  do  remember  !  I  do  remember  !  " 

"  What  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  intently,  as  if 
debating  within  himself  whether  to  trust  me ;  then 
at  last  he  laid  a  hand  tremulously  on  my  arm»  and 
stared  up  into  my  face. 

•'  I  have  shammed,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  have  lied  ; 
I  have  plotted.  I  shall  not  fail  now ;  I  have  come 
out  of  the  darkness  into  the  light.  I  have 
come  to  life  !  " 


WILLIAM  CAPPER  COMES  TO  LIFE.    285 

His  excitement,  now  that  he  had  once  let  himself 
go,  was  tremendous  ;  he  seemed  a  bigger  and  a 
stronger  man  than  I  had  imagined.  He  stood  there, 
shaking  his  clenched  fists  above  his  head,  and  crying 
out  that  he  was  alive,  and  almost  weeping  with 
excitement. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  I  asked  him, 
breathlessly. 

"  I  am  going  to  kill  Bardolph  Just,  as  he  killed 
my  young  master,  Mr.  Gregory  Pennington  !  I  have 
tried  twice  ;  the  third  time  I  shall  succeed  !  "  he 
replied. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL. 

I  DID  my  best  to  calm  the  man  Capper.  I  feared 
that  in  his  excitement  he  might  betray  his  purpose 
to  someone  else,  and  someone  not  so  well  disposed 
towards  him.  I  soothed  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and 
presently  got  him  by  the  arm  and  walked  him  away. 
For  a  long  way  we  went  in  silence,  until  at  last, 
having  climbed  to  Hampstead  Heath,  I  led  him  into 
a  by-path  there,  and  presently  sat  beside  him  on  a 
seat,  prepared  to  listen  to  his  story.  He  was  calmer 
by  this  time  ;  the  only  evidence  of  the  passions,  so 
long  suppressed  and  now  working  in  him,  was  shown 
when,  every  now  and  then,  he  ground  his  ri^ht  fist 
into  the  palm  of  his  other  hand,  as  though  m  that 
action  he  ground  the  face  of  his  enemy. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me,  if  you  will,  sir,"  he  said 
at  last,  "  where  the  man  has  gone.  I  was  a  fool 
when  I  lost  him  ;  I  have  not  done  my  work  well." 

"  I  will  tell  you  presently,  when  I  have  heard  your 
story,"  I  said.  "  You  have  made  a  threat  of  murder. 
I  don't  think  it  would  be  quite  wise  on  my  part 
to  let  you  loose  on  anyone  in  your  present  frame 
of  mind." 

"  Then  hear  me,  and  judge  for  yourself,  sir,"  he 
answered  solemnly. 

"  What  I  know  is  this,"  I  said.  "  I  know  that 
286 


I   BID  THE   DOCTOR  FAREWELL.      287 

Mr.  Gregory  Pennington  went  to  the  doctor's  house 
on  one  particular  night,  and  that  he  hanged  himself 
in  a  room  there.  I,  who  found  him  hanging,  found 
you  in  the  room,  apparently  dazed." 

"  I  have  to  think  back  a  long  way,"  said  Capper, 
leaning  forward  on  the  seat,  and  resting  his  elbows 
on  his  knees,  and  his  head  in  his  hands.  "  It's  all 
so  much  like  a  dream,  and  yet  all  so  clear.  Let  me 
try  to  tell  you,  sir,  what  happened  that  night." 

He  sat  for  a  long  time  in  that  attitude,  as  though 
striving  to  piece  together  all  his  recollections  of  that 
time  ;  as  though  even  yet  he  feared  that  his  memory 
might  play  him  false. 

"  I  don't  need  to  say  anything  about  myself,  sir, 
except  just  this  :  that  Mr.  Pennington  picked  me  out 
of  the  gutter,  and  made  a  man  of  me.  If  ever  one 
man  worshipped  another  on  this  earth,  I  worshipped 
him  ;  I  would  have  died  for  him.  He  made  me  his 
servant,  and  yet  his  friend.  He  knew  that  I  had 
been  something  better  in  the  days  before  he  found 
me  ;  he  made  me  something  better  again.  He  was 
quite  alone  in  the  world,  and  his  income  was  ad- 
ministered by  a  trustee,  a  lawyer.  That's  all  you 
need  know  about  it.  We  wandered  about  all  over 
the  world.  He  thought  nothing  of  starting  off  for 
the  other  side  of  the  world,  taking  me  with  him 
always,  at  a  moment's  notice— which,  perhaps, 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  no  one  has  made  any 
enquiries  about  him." 

I  did  not  answer  that ;  perhaps  the  time  was 
coming  when  I  should  have  to  tell  him  the  sequel 
to  what  he  was  now  telling  me. 

"  Then  he  met  the  young  lady — Miss  Debora 
Matchwick — and  he  used  often  to  go  and  see  her. 
One  night  he  came  home  raging,  and  told  me  that 
Dr.  Just  had  turned  him  out  of  the  house,  and  had 
told  him  he  was  not  to  go  there  again.  He  was  very 
much  in  love  with  the  young  lady,  and  the  affair 


288  DEAD   MAN'S  LOVE. 

upset  him  a  lot.  But  he  told  me  that  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  there  as  often  as  he  thought  fit ; 
he  meant  to  defy  the  doctor." 

He  paused  so  long  again  that  I  was  almost  minded 
to  speak  to  him  ;  he  seemed  to  be  brooding.  All  at 
once  he  sat  upright,  and  folded  his  arms,  and  went 
on  again.     His  voice  had  taken  on  a  new  sternness. 

"  I  took  to  ^oing  with  him — or  rather  following 
liim  without  his  knowledge,"  he  said  slowly.  "I 
didn't  like  the  look  of  the  doctor ;  I  knew  that  he 
meant  mischief.  Night  after  night,  when  Mr.  Pen- 
nington went  to  the  house,  I  hid  myself  in  the 
grounds,  and  waited  and  watched  ;  then  I  followed 
him  home  again.  You  see,  sir,  he  was  everything  to 
me,  all  I  had  in  the  world  ;  it  drove  me  mad  almost 
to  think  that  anything  might  happen  to  him.  So 
the  time  went  on,  until  at  last  that  night  arrived 
when,  as  it  seemed,  I  fell  asleep  and  forgot  every- 
thing.    But  I  remember  that  night  now  perfectly." 

In  his  rising  excitement  he  got  up,  and  began  to 
pace  about,  stopping  every  now  and  then  to  clap  his 
hands  together  softly,  and  to  nod  his  head  as  some 
point  in  the  story  recurred  to  his  memory.  At  last 
he  came  back  to  me,  and  sat  down,  and  faced  me. 

"  He  had  told  me  before  he  went  out  that  he 
intended  to  see  the  doctor  that  night.  '  I'll  have 
a  turn-up  with  him,'  he  said  to  me,  and  laughed. 
I  dreaded  that ;  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
be  very  near  to  him,  indeed,  that  night.  It  was 
difficult,  because  if  once  he  had  discovered  that  I 
was  following  him,  and  watching  him  like  that,  he 
might  have  been  angry,  and  might  have  ordered 
me  to  remain  at  home.  So,  you  see,  I  had  to  be 
discreet.  I  went  ahead  of  him  on  that  occasion, 
and  I  concealed  myself  in  the  grounds  quite  near 
to  the  house.  There  I  waited,  and  waited  so  long 
that  I  came  almost  to  think  that  he  had  changed 
his  mind,  and  would  not  come  at  all." 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.     289 

"  Did  you  see  no  one  else  in  the  grounds  ?  "  I 
asked,  thinking  of  my  own  unceremonious  coming 
on  that  wonderful  night. 

He  stared  at  me,  and  shook  his  head.  "  No 
one,"  he  said.  "  Presently  Mr.  Pennington  arrived, 
and  the  young  lady  crept  out  of  the  house  to  meet 
him  ;  I  saw  them  talking  together  for  a  long  time. 
Then  I  saw  Mr.  Pennington  go  towards  the  house, 
and  enter  it." 

I  remembered  how  I  had  lain  in  the  grass  that 
night,  and  had  seen  the  same  scene  he  now  described, 
although  from  a  different  point  of  view.  I  knew 
that  Capper  must  have  been  between  them  and  the 
house,  whilst  I,  for  my  part,  had  been  on  the  other 
side  of  them,  so  that  they  were  between  me  and 
this  man. 

"  Now,  I  will  tell  you,  as  well  as  I  can  recollect, 
exactly  what  happened,"  he  said,  speaking  slowly, 
and  ticking  off  his  points  one  by  one  on  his  fingers. 
"  I  was  so  nervous  that  night — nervous  for  him,  I 
mean — that  I  thought,  sir,  I  would  go  into  the  house, 
so  as  to  see  that  all  was  well  with  him.  Everything 
was  very  silent,  except  that  I  could  hear  the  murmur 
of  voices — of  men  talking.  You  will  understand, 
sir,  that  I  did  not  know  what  the  house  was  like, 
nor  my  way  about  it ;  but  I  found  a  door  unfastened 
at  the  back,  and  I  went  in.  I  went  towards  where 
the  voices  were  sounding,  and  I  recognised  Mr. 
Pennington's  voice,  and  then  the  doctor's.  Both 
the  voices  were  loud  and  angry  ;  I  guessed  that  they 
were  quarrelling." 

"  And  what  did  you  do  then  ?  "  I  asked  him 
quickly. 

"  God  help  me  !  "  he  cried,  wringing  his  hands. 
"  I  could  not  find  the  room.  The  place  was  in 
darkness,  and  I  was  afraid  to  make  a  noise,  lest  I 
should  disturb  some  of  the  servants,  and  perhaps 
be  turned  out.     I  groped  my  way  about  among  the 

T 


290  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

passages,  opening  first  one  door  and  then  another, 
and  hearing  the  voices  now  near  to  me,  and  now 
further  away ;  it  was  as  though  I  had  been  in  a 
maze.  And  then  the  voices  ceased  suddenly,  and 
I  heard  the  sound  of  a  blow." 

"  What  sort  of  blow  ?  "  I  asked  him  breathlessly. 

"  It  was  like  the  sound  of  a  weapon  striking  a 
man's  head.  It  was  followed  by  a  sort  of  quick 
cry ;  and  then  there  was  silence.  In  my  agitation 
I  must  have  turned  away  from  the  spot ;  and  I  had 
now  nothing  to  guide  me,  as  the  voices  had  guided 
me  before.  I  could  only  stand  there,  waiting,  and 
hoping  to  hear  something.  It  was  all  so  horrible, 
and  I  so  helpless,  that  I  wonder  I  did  not  go  mad 
then.  I  was  near  to  it  when  presently  I  heard  a 
sound  as  though  someone  were  dragging  a  heavy 
body  across  a  room.  I  began  again  to  move  in  the 
direction  of  that  sound,  and  presently  came  to  a  door, 
and  after  listening  to  another  sound  I  did  not  under- 
stand, opened  it,  and  went  in.  I  must  be  quick 
now  to  tell  you  what  I  saw,  for  it  is  at  this  point 
that  the  darkness  falls  upon  me,  and  I  seem  to 
sink  down  and  down  into  the  depths  that  swallowed 
me  up  for  so  long  a  time." 

I  was  really  afraid  that  he  might,  indeed,  forget 
before  he  could  tell  me  ;  I  watched  him  eagerly. 
After  but  a  little  pause  he  went  on  again,  and  now 
the  horror  was  growing  in  his  face,  and  stamping  it, 
so  that  I  could  not  take  my  eyes  ifrom  him. 

"  As  I  opened  the  door  of  the  room  the  doctor 
had  his  back  to  me,  and  he  was  hauling  on  some- 
thing. I  did  not  understand  at  first,  until  I  saw 
that  he  was  pulling  on  a  rope  that  ran  over  a  hook 
in  the  ceiling.  That  which  he  pulled  was  hidden 
from  me  by  himself ;  I  could  not  see  what  it  was. 
It  all  happened  in  a  second,  because  as  I  opened 
the  door  he  swung  away  from  me,  still  clinging  to 
the  rope — and  then,   dear  God ! — I   saw  what  it 


I    BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.     291 

was.  Only  for  a  flash  did  I  see  up  there  before  me 
the  dead  face  of  my  master — the  master  I  loved, 
and  for  whom  I  would  have  given  my  life  ;  then,  as 
I  put  up  my  hand  to  hide  the  sight,  everything  went 
from  me  ;  and  I  seemed  to  fall,  as  I  have  said,  into 
some  great  blackness,  with  all  my  life  blotted  outs 
That,"  he  said,  with  a  little,  quick,  helpless  gesture 
of  the  hands—"  that  is  aU." 

I  felt  my  blood  run  cold  at  the  horror  of  his 
tale  ;  the  whole  scene  seemed  to  be  enacted  before 
me,  as  though  I  had  myself  been  present,  "And 
did  you  really  forget  everything  until  a  little  time 
ago  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Everything,  sir,"  he  assured  me  solemnly.  "  I 
was  like  one  groping  in  the  dark.  People  I  had 
known  I  knew  again — as  with  Miss  Debora  ;  but  I 
could  not  remember  anything  else.  I  had  a  vague 
idea  that  I  had  lost  my  master  somewhere  about 
that  house  ;  that  made  me  cling  to  it.  The  rest  was 
a  blank.  And  then  one  day,  when  I  saw  the  doctor 
raise  his  stick  to  strike  a  man  down,  it  was  as  though 
something  had  been  passed  across  my  brain,  and  I 
remembered.  If  I  can  make  myself  clear,  sir,"  went 
on  Capper  eagerly,  "  it  was  as  though  I  had  gone 
back  to  that  night  ;  that  was  why  I  sprang  at  the 
doctor,  and  wanted  to  kill  him." 

"  And  you  tried  again  in  the  train,"  I  reminded 
him.  "  But  why  on  each  occasion  did  you 
sham  madness  ? — why  did  you  pretend  you  were 
still  the  simple  creature  everyone  supposed  you 
to  be  ?  " 

"  Because  I  knew  that  if  once  Dr.  Just  guessed 
that  I  remembered  the  events  of  that  night,  he  would 
take  means  to  have  me  shut  up  ;  I  might  have  been 
taken  for  a  lunatic,  and  disposed  of  for  the  rest  of 
my  life.  I  knew  that  if  I  could  once  deceive  him 
into  believing  that  my  mind  was  gone,  he  would 
not   be   suspicious  of  me.     Unfortungttely  for  my 


292  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

plan,  I  gave  the  game  away  when  I  tried  to  tlirow 
him  out  of  that  train." 

"  How  was  that  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  had  managed  things  very  well  up  to  that 
point,"  he  said.  "  I  knew  pretty  well  how  the 
trains  ran,  and  I  knew  that  if  I  could  throw  him 
out  on  the  line  at  a  certain  sfKDt  between  the 
stations  it  would  look  like  an  accident,  and  the 
train  on  the  other  line  would  cut  him  to  pieces. 
I  was  so  sure  of  success  that  I  threw  off  that 
disguise  I  had  worn  so  long,  and  I  cried  out  to 
him  that  I  remembered  he  had  killed  my  master, 
and  that  I  meant  to  kill  him.  I  dare  say  you 
remember,  sir,  that  you  asked  him  what  I  had  said, 
and  he  would  not  tell  you." 

I  remembered  it  distinctly,  and  I  remembered 
how  the  doctor  had  watched  that  Uttle  drooping 
figure  in  the  corner  of  the  railway  carriage,  and 
how  he  had  refused  to  tell  me  what  the  man  had 
said  before  attacking  him. 

"  After  that,  you  see,  there  was  no  more  chance 
of  doing  the  thin^  secretly,"  went  on  Capper,  speak- 
ing of  the  appalhng  business  in  the  most  easy  and 
natural  fashion.  "  He  shut  me  out  of  the  house  ; 
he  would  not  let  me  come  near  him.  Twice  I 
followed  him,  and  the  second  time  I  lost  him.  Now, 
sir," — he  clasped  his  hands,  and  looked  at  me 
with  an  agony  of  entreaty  in  his  eyes — "  now, 
sir,  will  you  let  me  know  where  I  can  find 
him  ?  " 

"  Answer  me  one  question  first,"  I  said,  looking 
into  his  eager  eyes.  "  If  you  kill  this  man,  what 
will  become  of  you  ?  " 

He  spread  out  his  hands,  and  smiled  the  strangest 
smile  I  have  ever  seen.  "  What  does  that  matter?" 
he  asked  simply.  "  If  I  am  found  out  they  may 
say  that  I  am  a  madman  ;  they  may  shut  me  away 
for  life.     They  may  even  hang  me.      It  will  not 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.      293 

matter — my  life  finished  when  the  man  who  saved 
me  from  myself  died." 

I  did  not  hesitate  any  further  ;  I  told  Capper 
that  Dr.  Bardolph  Just  was  living  down  at  a  place 
called  Green  Barn,  near  Comerford,  in  Essex.  He 
thanked  me  in  the  strangest  fashion,  with  the  tears 
in  his  eyes  ;  he  asked  if  he  might  shake  hands  with 
me.  I  had  a  weird  feeling  that  he  felt  he  might  be 
going  to  his  own  death  as  I  gripped  his  hand  and 
let  him  go.  I  watched  him  for  a  long  time  while 
he  went  across  the  heath  ;  he  walked  quickly,  and 
without  once  looking  to  right  or  left,  or  even  looking 
back  at  me.  And  I  wondered  what  manner  of 
death  was  preparing  for  Dr.  Just. 

Let  it  be  understood  clearly  that  I  was  so  amazed 
by  the  whole  business  that  for  some  time  I  could 
not  decide  what  to  do.  There  was  no  thought  in 
my  mind  of  saving  Bardolph  Just,  or  of  warning 
him ;  I  felt  that  in  this  grim  business  I  had  no  right 
to  interfere.  The  man  who  had  meted  out  death 
to  another  man,  and  had  striven  so  hard  to  kill  an 
innocent  girl,  was  no  subject  for  pity.  If  I  had 
desired  to  do  anything  to  stop  the  business,  it  would 
have  been  on  account  of  the  man  Capper;  and  so 
far  as  he  was  concerned,  I  knew  that  I  might  as 
well  try  to  turn  some  strong  river  from  its  course 
as  hold  him  back. 

But  I  thought  now  of  Debora.  Strange  as  it 
may  appear,  in  my  own  mind  I  regarded  the  death 
of  Dr.  Just  as  something  inevitable — something 
arranged  and  settled.  Capper  had  given  away  his 
secret  to  me  ;  I  knew  that  in  some  fashion  Dr.  Just 
would  meet  his  death  at  Green  Barn,  unless  by  a 
miracle  it  happened  that  he  had  already  gone  away. 
And  even  then  Capper  was  capable  of  following 
him,  in  that  deadly  hunt,  to  the  other  side  of  the 
world.  I  determined  that  I  must  go  to  Green  Barn 
• — not  with  any  intention  of  standing  between  Capper 


294  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

and  his  intended  victim,  but  in  the  hope  to  be  of 
service  to  Debora.  Debora  would  be  alone  with 
Bardolph  Just,  and  Bardolph  Just  was  marked  for 
death  ! 

I  hurried  back  to  my  lodging,  in  the  hope  to  find 
Andrew  Ferkoe,  and  to  let  him  know  what  I  was 
doing  ;  but  I  found  that  he  had  not  yet  returned  to 
the  house,  and  the  landlady  had  no  knowledge  of  his 
movements.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  for  me 
to  leave  a  message,  saying  that  I  was  called  away 
into  the  country,  and  hoped  to  be  back  within  a 
day  or  so.     I  said  nothing  more  definite  than  that. 

I  got  out  at  Comerford  Station  in  a  heavy  fall  of 
summer  rain.  I  had  no  knowledge  of  whether 
Capper  was  in  front  of  me,  or  behind  me  in  London  ; 
whether  he  had  yet  come  face  to  face  with  the 
doctor,  or  whether  that  was  still  to  happen.  I  was 
passing  rapidly  through  the  little  booking-hall  when 
I  saw  a  big  man  lounging  on  a  seat  there,  with  his 
arms  folded  and  his  legs  stretched  out  before  him. 
It  was  Harvey  Scoffold,  and  half  involuntarily  I 
stopped. 

He  looked  up  at  me  with  a  scowl,  which  changed 
the  next  moment  to  a  grin.  "  Hullo  !  "  he  said, 
with  an  attempt  at  joviality,  "  what  brings  you 
down  here  ?  " 

"  You  should  be  able  to  guess,"  I  reminded  him. 

"  There's  no  welcome  for  you — nor  for  anyone 
else,"  he  said  sourly.  '*  Look  at  me,  my  boy  ;  I'm 
turned  out.  Simply  given  my  marching  orders,  if 
you  please,  and  sent  packing." 

"  Have  you  been  to  Green  Barn  ?  "  I  asked  him. 

He  nodded.  "  Went  down  in  the  friendliest 
fashion,  to  see  a  man  I've  been  devilish  useful  to — 
and  what  do  I  get  ?  A  meal,  of  course  ;  then  I'm 
calmly  told  that  the  doctor  is  in  retirement,  and 
is  not  receiving  guests.  More  than  that,  I'U  tell 
you  something  else  that  may  not  be  to  your  liking." 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.       295 

He  leaned  forward,  thrusting  his  heavy  face 
towards  me,  and  dropping  a  hand  on  each  knee.  I 
had  always  disliked  the  man  ;  I  could  have  struck 
him  full  in  his  smiUng  face  now  for  the  look  it 
wore. 

"  I  don't  suppose  it'll  be  a  bit  to  your  liking, 
Mr.  John  New,  or  whatever  your  confounded  name 
is,"  he  said.  "  But  the  doctor  has  sent  every- 
one away — servants  and  all — sent  'em  packing 
to-day.  He's  a  bit  mad,  I  think,  over  that  girl — or 
else  he  really  means  to  kill  her.  But  there  they 
are — just  the  pair  of  'em — alone  together  in  that 
house.  If  you  ask  me,"  he  added  with  a  leer, 
"  I  wouldn't  mind  changing  places  with  him,  and 
I  should  say " 

I  waited  for  no  more  ;  I  left  the  man,  and  almost 
ran  out  of  the  station  in  my  excitement.  I  heard 
him  call  after  me,  but  could  not  know  what  the 
words  were  ;  nor  did  I  greatly  care.  One  picture, 
and  one  only,  possessed  my  mind,  to  the  exclusion 
of  everything  else.  The  figure  of  Capper  was  blotted 
out  by  that  more  tragic  figure  of  Debora,  at  the 
mercy  of  Bardolph  Just,  in  that  lonely  Essex  house. 
More  than  all  else,  I  realised  that  my  hands  would 
be  in  a  sense  tied  by  Debora,  because  she  would 
believe  that  my  liberty  would  be  endangered  if  she 
left  the  doctor. 

I  found  that  to  be  true  enough.  So  confident  was 
the  man  of  his  power  over  her  that  he  had  given  her 
a  certain  amount  of  liberty  ;  so  that,  to  my  surprise 
and  my  delight,  I  suddenly  came  face  to  face  with 
her  within  an  hour  of  my  reaching  Green  Barn — 
and  that,  too,  near  to  the  little  hut  at  the  edge  of 
the  abandoned  chalk  pit. 

The  meeting  was  so  surprising  to  both  of  us  that 
for  a  time  we  could  only  hold  hands,  and  talk  in- 
coherently, each  in  a  great  relief  at  finding  the  other 
safe  and  well.     But  at  last  we  came  down  to  more 


296  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

prosaic  things,  and  she  told  me  something  of  what 
was  happening. 

Bardolph  Just  had  sworn  to  carry  his  threat  into 
execution  if  she  saw  me  again,  or  had  anything 
further  to  do  with  me  ;  he  had  determined  to  risk 
everything,  and  to  give  me  up  to  the  authorities.  I 
tried  to  show  her  that  the  man  would  never  dare 
proceed  to  that  extremity,  because  of  the  danger  in 
which  he  would  place  himself  by  so  doing.  And 
then  I  told  her  about  Capper,  and  about  Capper's 
threat. 

"  Capper  is  here  !  "  she  exclaimed,  startUngly 
enough, 

"  Have  you  seen  him  ?  "  I  demanded. 

She  nodded  quickly.  "  I  was  walking  in  the 
grounds  a  little  while  ago,  and  I  saw  him.  He  came 
up  to  me,  and  said  how  glad  he  was  to  see  me,  and 
asked  about  the  doctor — all  quite  innocently  and 
simply,  I  thought." 

"  There  is  no  innocence  and  no  simphcity  about 
him,"  I  said.  "  He  means  murder.  I  don't 
think  anything  will  turn  him  from  it.  That's 
why  I  want  you  to  leave  all  this  behind  and  to 
go  away." 

"  With  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  not  with  me,"  I  said,  reluctantly  enough. 
I  could  not  tell  her  then  all  that  was  in  my  mind  ; 
1  might  have  broken  down  in  the  telling.  "  I  must 
remain  here  until  I  know  what  Capper  means  to  do. 
I  must,  if  possible,  dissuade  him  from  that,  if  only 
for  his  own  sake.  Tell  me,  my  dear  girl,"  I  went  on 
earnestly,  "  is  there  no  one  to  whom  you  could  go, 
and  who  would  befriend  you  ?  Set  the  doctor  out 
of  your  mind  altogether ;  I  have  a  presentiment  that, 
whatever  happens,  he  will  not  trouble  you  again.  Is 
there  no  one  to  whom  you  could  turn  ?  " 

"  No  one  but  you  in  all  the  world,"  she  said, 
looking  at  me  curiously. 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.      297 

"  Your  father  must  have  had  some  lawyer — some 
friend,"  I  suggested. 

"  The  same  lawyer  that  Dr.  Just  employs,"  she 
said.  "  He  looks  after  my  money,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  doctor." 

"  I  want  you  to  promise,  Debora,  that  if  anything 
happens  to  me  you  will  go  to  that  man,  and  will  see 
to  it  that  he  makes  proper  provision  for  you  out  of 
your  money,  and  provides  you  with  a  settled  home. 
He  will  do  that  for  his  own  sake." 

"  But  what  should  happen  to  you  ?  "  she  whis- 
pered, clinging  to  me.  "  And  in  any  case  how  will 
anyone  help  me  if  the  doctor  is  here  to  interfere  ?  " 

"  I  am  only  asking  you  to  promise  something,  in 
case  something  else — something  quite  impossible,  if 
you  hke — should  happen,"  I  assured  her  lightly. 

"  Very  well  then,  I  promise,"  she  answered. 

It  was  a  more  difficult  matter  to  persuade  her  to 
run  away,  and  especially  to  run  away  and  leave  me 
in  that  place.  For  I  could  not  tell  her  my  reasons, 
and  I  saw  that  she  did  not  think  it  possible  that 
that  weak  little  creature  Capper  could  carry  out  his 
threat  against  the  stronger  man  Bardolph  Just ;  the 
thing  was  a  sheer  impossibility.  Nevertheless,  I  so 
worked  upon  her  terrors  of  the  house,  and  of  the 
man  who  had  her  prisoner  there,  that  at  last  she 
consented  to  go.  I  pressed  what  money  I  had  upon 
her,  and  arranged  that  she  should  go  back  to  London 
that  night,  and  should  make  her  way  to  the  little 
quiet  hotel  near  the  Charterhouse  where  she  was 
known  ;  there  she  could  await  a  letter  from  me.  I 
was  to  keep  out  of  the  way  until  she  was  gone,  that 
I  might  not  seem  to  be  connected  with  her  flight. 
The  rest  was  a  matter  on  my  part  of  vague  promises 
as  to  the  future. 

And  then  it  was  that  I  held  her  in  my  arms  as  I 
had  never  held  her  before,  and  as  though  I  could 
never  let  her  go.     For  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that 


298  DEAD   MAN*S  LOVE. 

I  would  not  see  her  again  ;  it  was  my  purpose  to 
keep  away  from  her,  and  to  take  myself  out  of  her 
life  from  that  hour.  It  seemed  to  me  then  as  though 
all  the  strange  business  that  had  brought  us  together 
was  closing,  and  I  felt  now,  as  I  had  not  clearly  felt 
before,  that  mine  was  no  life  to  link  with  hers.  She 
was  rich,  and  she  was  young,  and  she  was  fair  ;  any 
love  she  might  have  felt  for  me  was  more  a  matter 
of  gratitude  than  anything  else.  I  had  been  able  to 
stand  her  friend  when  no  other  friend  was  near,  but 
I  was  that  creature  without  a  name,  who  might 
some  day  by  chance  be  sent  back  to  his  prison.  I 
must  not  link  my  name  with  hers. 

However,  I  would  not  let  her  suspect  that  this 
was  the  parting  of  the  ways.  I  made  her  repeat  her 
promise  to  me  to  go  to  this  lawyer,  an  elderly  man, 
as  I  understood,  and  one  who  had  dealt  honestly 
with  her  father ;  and  with  that  we  parted.  I  knew 
that  she  would  slip  out  of  the  house,  and  would  go 
off  to  London.  From  some  other  place  I  would 
write  to  her,  and  would  tell  her  of  my  decision. 
I  felt  also  that  I  might  have  news  to  tell  of  Dr. 
Bardolph  Just. 

And  now  I  come  to  that  strangest  happening  of 
all — the  death  of  that  celebrated  physician  and 
scientist,  Dr.  Bardolph  Just.  Of  all  that  was 
written  about  it  at  the  time,  and  the  many  eulogies 
that  were  printed  concerning  the  man,  you  will 
doubtless  have  heard ;  but  the  true  story  of  it  is 
given  here  for  the  first  time,  and  it  is  only  given  now 
because  the  man  who  killed  him  is  dead  also,  and  is 
beyond  the  reach  of  everyone. 

The  thing  is  presented  to  me  in  a  series  of  scenes, 
so  strange  and  weird  in  their  character  that  it  is 
almost  as  though  I  had  dreamt  them,  when  now, 
after  years,  I  strive  to  recollect  them.  The  gaunt 
old  house,  standing  surrounded  by  its  grounds;  the 
solitary  man  shut  up  alone  in  it,  not  dreamin"»  that 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR   FAREWELL.      299 

Debora  had  gone,  and  that  I  was  so  near  at  hand  ; 
and  above  all  and  before  all,  that  strange  figure  of 
William  Capper.  I  find  myself  shuddering  now 
when  I  remember  all  the  elements  of  the  story,  and 
how  that  story  ended. 

I  was  a  mere  spectator  of  the  business — something 
outside  it — and  I  looked  on  helplessly  through  the 
amazing  scenes,  with  always  that  feeling  that  I  was 
in  a  dream.  Long  after  Debora  had  stolen  away 
from  the  house  that  night,  I  wandered  restlessly 
about  the  place,  wondering  a  httle  at  the  silence,  and 
remembering  always  that  somewhere  among  the 
shadows  lurked  Capper,  watching  this  man  he  had 
come  to  kill.  I  remembered  also  that  in  the  strangest 
fashion  Bardolph  Just  had  prepared  the  way  for  him 
by  actucilly  sending  everyone  who  might  have 
protected  him  out  of  the  house. 

Exactly  how  Capper  got  into  the  place  I  was  never 
able  to  discover.  Whether  Bardolph  Just  had  grown 
careless,  and  did  not  think  it  likely  that  the  man 
would  discover  where  he  was,  or  whether  Capper, 
with  cunning,  forced  an  entrance  somewhere,  I  never 
knew.  But  it  was  after  midnight  when  I  heard  a 
cry  in  the  house,  and  knew  that  what  I  dreaded  had 
begun  to  happen.  A  minute  or  two  afterwards  the 
door  opened,  and  Bardolph  Just  came  out,  staggering 
down  the  steps,  and  looking  back  into  the  lighted 
house.  He  seemed  frightened,  and  I  guessed  what 
had  frightened  him. 

He  stopped  still  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  house,  and  then  turned  slowly,  and  retraced 
his  steps.  Capper  stood  framed  in  the  lighted 
doorway,  looking  out  at  liim,  but  I  saw  that 
he  appeared  to  have  no  weapon.  In  tlie  dead 
sUeuce  all  about  us  I  heard  Bardolph  Just's  words 
clearly. 

"  WTiere  the  devil  did  you  come  from  ?  "  he  asked 
in  a  shrill  voice. 


300  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

*'  From  my  dead  master !  "  came  Capper's  answer, 
clear  and  strong. 

"  Get  out  of  my  house,  you  madman  !  "  exclaimed 
the  doctor,  taking  a  step  towards  him  ;  but 
the  other  did  not  move.  "  What  do  you  want 
with  me  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  remain  near  you  ;  I  never  mean  to 
leave  you  again  on  this  side  of  the  grave,"  said 
Capper. 

"  Are  you  going  to  kill  me  ?  "  asked  the  other. 
"  Do  you  mean  murder  ?  " 

"  I  don't  mean  to  kill  you — yet,"  replied  the 
other.  In  the  strangest  fashion  he  seated  himself  on 
the  top  step,  and  folded  his  arms  and  waited. 

Bardolph  Just  walked  away  a  little,  and  then  came 
back.  I  could  see  that,  apart  from  his  dread  of  the 
other  man,  he  did  not  know  what  to  do,  nor  how  to 
meet  this  amazing  situation.  He  took  out  a  cigar 
from  his  case  and  lighted  it,  and  strolled  up  and 
down  there,  alternately  watching  the  little  man 
seated  above  him,  and  studying  the  ground  as  though 
seeking  for  a  solution  of  the  difficulty.  At  last  he 
decided  to  drop  threatening,  and  to  try  if  he  might 
not  win  the  man  over. 

"  Look  here,  my  good  Capper,"  he  said,  "  I've  no 
reason  to  love  you,  but  I  think  you're  merely  a  poor, 
half-witted  creature,  who  should  be  more  pitied  than 
blamed.  I  don't  want  to  have  any  trouble  with  you, 
but  most  decidedly  I  don't  want  to  be  subjected  to 
your  violence.     I  want  to  come  into  my  house.'" 

"  Come  in  by  all  means,"  said  the  little  man, 
getting  to  his  feet ;  "  and  I  will  not  use  violence." 

Seeing  that  the  doctor  still  hesitated,  I  thought  I 
might  at  least  show  myself.  I  was,  above  all  things, 
anxious  to  see  the  end  of  the  business.  My  concern 
was  with  Capper  chiefly.  I  could  not  see  for  the  life 
of  me  what  he  would  do  in  trying  conclusions  with  a 
man  of  the  physique  of  Bardolph  Just.     Above  all 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.      301 

things,  I  did  not  want  it  to  happen  that  the  doctor 
should  gain  a  victory. 

"  You're  not  afraid  of  the  man  ?  "  was  my 
somewhat  contemptuous  greeting  of  him. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  he  demanded. 
"  Are  you  in  the  plot  ?  " 

"  I've  done  with  plots,"  I  said.  "  I  am  merely 
a  spectator." 

He  said  nothing  about  Dehor  a,  and  I  rightly 
guessed  that  he  had  not  yet  discovered  her  absence, 
but  had  merely  concluded  that  she  had  retired  for 
the  night.  After  looking  at  me  for  a  moment  or  two 
doubtfully,  he  took  a  step  or  two  in  my  direction, 
and  lowered  his  voice  to  a  whisper. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  with  a  nervous  glance 
towards  the  man  in  the  doorway,  "I'm  all  alone  in 
this  house  except  for  a  weak  girl,  and  I'm  afraid  of 
this  fellow.     What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  He's  smaller  than  you  are,"  I  reminded  him. 
"  Turn  him  out !  " 

"  I'm  half  afraid  to  go  near  him,"  he  seiid. 
"  You've  seen  him  fly  at  me  on  two  occasions  ;  he 
can  be  like  a  wild  beast  when  he  likes." 

"  He  has  said  that  he  will  offer  you  no  violence," 
I  replied.  "  I  don't  know  what  he's  got  in  his  mind, 
but  it  seems  to  me,  if  you're  afraid  to  turn  him  out, 
you've  got  to  put  up  with  him.  He  seems  very  fond 
of  you,"  I  added  caustically. 

He  shot  a  glance  at  me,  as  though  wondering  what 
I  meant ;  then  turned  and  walked  towards  the  house, 
I  saw  Capper  retreat  before  him,  so  as  to  give  him 
free  entry  to  the  place.  On  the  door-step  he  turned, 
and  called  out  into  the  darkness  to  me. 

"  You,  at  any  rate,  can  stop  outside  ;  one  mad- 
man is  bad  enough."  Then  the  door  was  shut,  and 
I  was  left  to  wonder  what  was  going  on  inside. 

I  was  not  to  be  left  long  in  doubt.  In  something 
less  than  half  an  hour,  while  I  was  hesitating  whether 


302  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

to  go,  or  whether  to  stay,  the  door  was  pulled  open 
again,  and  a  voice  so  querulous  and  nervous  that  I 
scarcely  recognised  it  for  that  of  the  doctor  called 
out  into  the  darkness 

"  John  New  !  John  New,  are  you  there  ?  " 

I  showed  myself  at  once,  and  he  ran  down  the 
steps  to  me.  I  saw  that  he  was  shaking  from  head 
to  foot ;  the  hand  with  which  he  gripped  me,  while 
he  stared  over  his  shoulder  back  into  the  house,  was 
a  hand  of  ice. 

"  For  the  love  of  God,"  he  whispered,  "  come  into 
the  house  with  me  !  I  shall  go  mad  if  this  goes  on. 
I  can't  shake  him  off." 

"  Lock  yourself  in  your  room,  and  go  to  bed," 
I  said  disdainfully. 

"  I  can't ;  he's  taken  every  key  of  every  lock  in 
the  house  and  liidden  them.  I  can't  shut  a  door 
against  him  anywhere ;  upstairs  and  downstairs, 
wherever  I  go  he  is  there,  just  behind  me.  Will  you 
come  in  ?  " 

I  went  in  ;  the  sheer  fascination  of  the  thing  was 
growing  on  me.  Capper  took  not  the  faintest  notice 
of  me  ;  he  was  waiting  just  inside  the  door,  and  he 
followed  us  into  a  room.  There  he  seated  himself, 
with  his  hands  on  his  knees,  and  waited.  The 
doctor  made  a  pretence  of  drinking,  and  even  of 
lighting  a  cigar,  but  he  set  the  glass  down  almost 
untasted,  and  allowed  the  cigar  to  go  out.  No  words 
were  exchanged  between  us,  and  still  Capper  kept 
up  that  relentless  watch. 

At  last  Bardolph  Just  sank  down  into  a  chair,  and 
closed  his  eyes.  "  If  he  won't  let  me  go  to  bed,  I'll 
sleep  here,"  he  murmured. 

But  in  a  moment  Capper  had  sprung  up,  and 
had  gone  to  the  man  and  shaken  him  rouehly  by 
the  shoulder.  "  Wake  up  !  "  he  ordered.  ^'  You'll 
sleep  no  more  until  you  sleep  at  the  last  until  the 
Judgment  Day." 


I  BID  THE  DOCTOR  FAREWELL.     303 

I  saw  then  with  horror  what  his  purpose  was.  I 
knew  not  what  the  end  was  to  be,  but  I  saw  that  his 
immediate  purpose  was  to  wear  the  other  man  down 
until  he  coidd  do  what  he  liked  with  him.  I  thought 
he  was  a  fool  not  to  understand  that  in  striving  to 
break  down  the  strength  of  the  other  he  was  breaking 
himself  down  too  ;  but  that  never  seemed  to  occur  to 
him.  For  the  whole  of  that  night  he  kept  Bardolph 
Just  awake,  foUowed  him  from  room  to  room  in  that 
house  where  no  door  would  lock,  and  where  he  gave 
his  victim  no  time  to  barricade  himself  in  ;  he  never 
left  him  for  a  moment.  More  than  once  Bardolph 
Just  turned  on  him,  and  then  the  eyes  of  Capper 
flashed,  and  he  drew  back  as  if  about  to  spring  ;  and 
the  doctor  waited.  He  threw  himself  on  his  bed 
once,  in  sheer  exhaustion,  and  Capper  made  such  a 
din  in  the  room  by  overturning  tables  and  smashing 
things  that  the  wretched  man  got  up  and  fled  down- 
stairs, and  out  into  the  grounds.  But  Capper  fled 
with  him. 

For  my  part,  I  slept  at  intervals,  dropping  on  to 
a  couch,  or  into  a  deep  chair,  and  closing  my  eyes 
from  sheer  weariness.  I  found  myself  murmuring 
in  my  sleep  sometimes,  incoherently  begging  Capper 
to  give  the  game  up,  and  to  let  the  man  alone  ;  but 
he  took  no  notice  of  me,  and  I  might  indeed  have 
been  a  shadow  in  the  house,  so  little  did  he  seem  to 
be  aware  of  my  presence.  When  I  could,  after 
waking  from  a  fitful  sleep,  I  would  stumble  about 
the  house  in  a  search  for  them,  and  even  out  into 
the  grounds  ;  and  always  there  was  the  man  striving 
for  rest,  and  the  other  man  keeping  him  awake. 

Once  Bardolph  Just  armed  himself  with  a  stick, 
and  ran  out  of  the  house  ;  Capper  snatched  up 
another,  and  ran  after  him.  I  thought  that  this 
was  the  end  ;  I  ran  out  too,  crying  to  Capper  to 
beware  what  he  did.  WheR  I  got  to  them — and 
this  was  the  noon  of  the  following  day — Bardolph 


304  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

Just  had  flung  aside  his  stick,  and  stood  there  in  a 
dejected  attitude,  looking  at  his  persecutor. 

*'  It's  no  good,"  he  said  hoarsely,  "  I  give  in.  Do 
what  you  will  with  me  ;  ask  what  you  will ;  this  is 
the  end." 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Capper,  leaning  upon  the  stick 
and  watching  him.     "  Not  yet." 

That  strange  hunt  went  on  for  the  whole  of  that 
day,  and  during  the  next  night.  I  only  saw  part 
of  it  all,  because,  of  course,  I  fell  asleep,  and  slept 
longer  than  I  had  done  at  first.  But  I  saw  once 
the  wretched  man  fall  upon  his  knees  before  Capper, 
and  beg  for  mercy  ;  saw  him  struggle  with  Capper 
with  his  uninjured  arm,  so  that  the  two  of  them 
swayed  about,  dazed  with  want  of  sleep  ;  saw  him 
fall  to  the  ground,  and  try  to  sleep,  and  the  other 
kick  him  viciously  into  a  wakeful  state  again.  And 
at  last  came  the  end,  when  the  doctor  went  swaying 
and  stumbhng  up  the  stairs  towards  his  bedroom, 
muttering  that  the  other  man  could  do  his  worst, 
but  that  he  must  sleep.  So  utterly  worn  out  was 
he  that  he  got  no  further  than  the  landing  ;  there 
he  fell,  and  lay  as  one  dead. 

The  sun  was  streaming  in  through  a  high  window  ; 
it  fell  upon  the  exhausted  man,  and  uf>on  Capper 
standing  beside  him.  Capper  was  swaying  a  little, 
but  otherwise  seemed  alert  enough. 

"  This  will  serve,"  he  muttered  as  if  to  himself. 
"  This  is  the  end." 

He  went  away,  and  after  a  httle  time  came  back 
with  a  roi>e  and  a  hatchet.  In  my  horror  at  what 
he  might  be  going  to  do,  I  wouldf  have  taken  the 
hatchet  from  him  ;  but  now  he  threatened  me  with 
it,  with  a  snarl  like  that  of  a  wild  beast ;  and  I  drew 
away  from  him,  and  watched.  He  proceeded  to 
hack  away  the  rails  of  the  landing,  leaving  only  the 
broad  balustrade  ;  he  cut  away  six  rails,  and  tossed 
them  aside.    Then  he  made  a  running  noose  in  the 


I  BID  THE   DOCTOR   FAREWELL.      305 

rope,  and  fastened  the  other  end  of  it  securely  to 
the  balustrade.  There  was  thus  left  a  space  under 
where  the  rope  was  fastened,  and  sheer  down  from 
that  a  drop  into  the  hall  below.  He  knelt  down 
beside  the  unconscious  man,  and  lifted  his  head, 
and  put  the  noose  about  his  neck.  He  tightened 
it  viciously,  but  tjie  sleeping  man  never  even 
murmured. 

Then  I  saw  him  begin  to  push  the  sleeping  man 
slowly  and  with  effort  towards  the  gap  he  had_made 
in  the  staircase  rail. 


When  I  could  look  (and  it  was  a  long  time  before 
I  could  make  up  my  mind  to  do  so),  the  body  of 
Bardolph  Just  swung  high  above  me,  suspended  by 
the  neck.  On  the  landing,  prone  upon  the  floor, 
lay  William  Capper,  sleeping  soundly. 


U 


CHAPTER  XVT. 

THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS. 

The  suicide  of  that  brilliant  and  cultured  man, 
Dr.  Bardolph  Just,  caused,  as  you  will  remember,  a 
very  great  sensation  at  the  time,  and  there  was 
much  wonder  expressed  as  to  why  the  man  had 
hanged  himself  at  all.  But  there  was  no  doubt 
about  the  question  of  suicide,  because  the  whole 
thing  had  been  so  deliberately  and  carefully 
planned. 

He  had  taken  care  to  send  everyone  away  from 
him — even  an  old  and  trusted  friend  like  Mr.  Harvey 
Scoffold — and  had  left  himself  absolutely  alone  in 
that  great  house.  Various  theories  were  put  for- 
ward as  to  how  he  had  managed  to  tie  the  knot  so 
successfully,  in  making  that  running  noose  for  his 
neck  ;  but  it  was  universally  agreed  that  that  had 
been  a  matter  of  teeth  and  his  one  uninjured  hand. 
Shuddering  accounts,  wholly  imaginary,  were  given 
of  what  the  man's  last  hours  must  have  been,  and 
in  what  determined  fashion  he  must  have  hacked 
away  the  rails,  in  order  to  make  a  space  through 
which  he  could  push  his  way.  Everyone  seemed  to 
be  perfectly  agreed  on  that  matter,  and  there  it 
ended. 

For  the  rest,  let  me  say  that  I  waited  in  that 
house  until,  in  due  course,  William  Capper  woke  up. 

306 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS.     307 

He  went  about  what  he  had  to  do  after  that  in  the 
most  methodical  way,  restoring  all  the  keys  to  the 
doors,  and  putting  in  order  such  things  as  had  been 
disturbed  during  those  long,  weary  hours  when  he 
had  followed  the  other  man  round  the  house.  He 
said  but  little  to  me,  and  at  last  we  came  out  of 
the  place,  and  stood  together,  with  the  doors  of  the 
house  closed  upon  us.  Only  when  we  had  gone 
through  the  grounds,  and  had  come  out  upon  the 
high  road  did  he  speak  again,  and  then  without 
looking  at  me. 

"  This  is  where  we  part,  sir,"  he  said  quietly. 
"  You  will  be  making  for  London,  and  I " 

"  Where  will  you  go  ?  "  I  asked  him  as  he  hesitated. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  it  doesn't  matter,"  he  replied, 
looking  out  over  the  landscape  that  stretched  before 
him.  "  I'm  an  old  man,  and  there  may  not  be  many 
years  for  me.  It  does  not  matter  much  where  or 
how  I  spend  them.  If,"  he  added  whimsically,  "  I 
could  be  sure  that  they  would  send  me  to  that  prison 
from  which  you  came  " — for  I  had  told  him  that  part 
of  the  story — "  I  would  do  something  that  would 
cause  me  to  be  sent  there ;  but  it  might  be  another 
prison,  and  that  wouldn't  do.  I  should  like  to  be 
near  him." 

I  stretched  out  my  hand  to  him,  on  an  impulse,  in 
farewell,  but  he  shook  his  head.  "  You  might  not 
like  to  think  afterwards  that  you  took  my  hand, 
after  what  I  have  done,"  he  said  quietly.  Then, 
with  a  quick  nod,  this  singular  creature  turned  away 
and  walked  off  down  the  road.  I  lost  him  at  a  turn 
of  it,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 

I  went  back  to  London  that  night,  and  at  my  old 
lodging  found  Andrew  Ferkoe  awaiting  me.  I  had 
the  task  before  me  of  writing  to  Debora,  and  that 
task,  as  you  may  suppose,  was  not  an  easy  one. 
Nevertheless  I  contrived  to  put  my  case  before  her 
clearly  and  without  brutality. 


3o8  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

I  told  her  that  I  should  love  her  all  my  life  ;  I 
blessed  her  for  all  she  had  unconsciously  done  for  me  ; 
I  told  her  I  was  grateful  for  the  sweet  memory  of 
herself  that  she  had  left  with  me.  But  I  reminded 
her  that  I  had  no  name,  and  no  position,  and  no 
hopes,  and  if  by  any  unfortunate  chance  my  real 
name  was  thrust  upon  me  in  the  future,  it  would 
only  be  to  bring  shame  and  degradation  upon  me  and 
upon  any  one  with  whom  I  was  associated.  And  I 
added  that  she  would  have  news  very  soon  concern- 
ing the  doctor,  and  I  thought  it  improbable][thatj[he 
would  ever  trouble  her  again. 

I  sealed  the  letter  and  directed  it,  and  gave  it  to 
Andrew  Ferkoe.  "  Run  out  and  post  that,"  I  said. 
"  And  never  speak  to  me  about  the  matter  again. 
You  and  I  are  alone  together  in  the  world,  Andrew, 
and  we  shall  have  to  be  sufficient  for  each  other." 

The  lad  weighed  the  letter  in  his  hand,  studying 
the  address,  and  looking  from  it  to  me  and  back 
again.  "  I  know  what  you've  done,"  he  said ; 
"  you've  had  a  row  with  the  young  lady — that's 
what  you've  done." 

"  You  simpleton  !  "  I  laughed  ;  "  what  do  you 
know  about  such  matters  ?  I've  had  no  row  with 
the  young  lady,  as  you  express  it.  I'm  only  trying 
to  do  the  right  thing." 

"  Isn't  she  fond  of  you  ?  "  he  asked  wistfully. 

"  I  believe  she's  very  fond  of  me,"  I  replied. 
"  Only  there  are  such  things  in  this  world  as  honour, 
and  justice,  and  truth,  and  it  is  written  among  the 
laws  that  men  should  obey,  but  do  not,  that  you 
mustn't  take  advantage  of  a  woman's  fondness  for 
you.  In  other  words,  Andrew,  you  must  play  the 
game.  So  that  it  happens  that,  as  I'm  a  rank  out- 
sider and  a  bad  lot,  and  as  I  have  the  stain  of  the 
prison  on  me,  I've  got  to  steer  clear  of  a  young  girl 
who  is  as  high  above  me  as  the  stars.  In  a  little 
time  she  will  come  to  think  of  me  with  friendly 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS.    309 

feelings,  but  no  more  than  that.  So  off  with  you, 
my  boy,  and  post  that  important  letter." 

Andrew  hesitated  a  moment  or  two  longer,  and 
shook  his  head,  but  at  last  he  sallied  forth  on  his 
errand.  I  had  lighted  a  cigar,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  sitting  down  to  enjoy  it,  and  to  ruminate  luxur- 
iously over  my  miseries,  when  there  came  a  knock 
at  the  door,  and  my  landlady  put  her  head  in  to 
announce  that  a  gentleman  had  come  to  see  me.  I 
was  rapidly  running  over  the  names  of  the  extremely 
few  people  who  even  knew  of  my  whereabouts  as  the 
man  entered,  and  disclosed  himself  as  an  utter 
stranger.  He  was  a  little  man,  dressed  in  black,  and 
of  a  precise  manner  of  speech  and  action.  The  land- 
lady withdrew,  and  the  visitor  stood  looking  at  me, 
as  though  taking  stock  of  me  generally,  while  he 
removed  his  gloves. 

"  Haven't  you  made  a  mistake,  sir  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  think  not,"  he  replied.  "  You  are  Mr.  John 
New,  are  you  not  ?  " 

I  told  him  that  I  was,  and  I  began  to  have  an 
unpleasant  sensation  that  he  must  be  connected  with 
the  police  in  some  way.  However,  he  smiled  with 
satisfaction  at  this  proof  that  he  was  right,  and  took 
from  his  breast  pocket  a  little  bundle  of  papers. 

"  You  were,  I  believe,  a  friend  of  the  late  Mr. 
Zabdiel  Blowfield,  who  was  brutally  murdered  a  short 
time  ago  ?  "  he  asked,  looking  up  at  me. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  in  some  amazement.  "  I  knew  him 
slightly." 

"  As  you  are  doubtless  aware,  Mr.  New,  the  old 
gentleman  was  very  eccentric,  and  took  very  sudden 
Ukes  and  dislikes.  He  had  no  one  in  the  world 
belonging  to  him,  his  one  nephew,  after  a  somewhat 
disgraceful  career,  having  died  shamefully.  It  seems, 
however,  that,  slight  as  your  acquaintance  with  him 
was,  he  took  a  decided  liking  for  you." 

"  He  never  displayed  it  in  life,"  I  said  grimly. 


310  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

"  Then  he  has  made  up  for  any  lack  in  that 
respect  now,"  said  the  man.  "  Perhaps  I  should 
introduce  myself,  Mr.  New.  My  name  is  Tipping — 
James  Tipping — and  I  was  Mr.  Blowfield's  solicitor 
for  many  years.  I  should  hke,  Mr.  New,  to  con- 
gratulate you  ;  your  poor  old  friend  has  left  you 
everything  lie  possessed  in  the  world." 

For  a  moment  or  two  I  gaped  at  him,  not  imder- 
standing.  I  tried  to  frame  words  in  which  to  answer, 
tried  to  get  some  grasp  of  his  meaning.  While  I 
stood  there,  staring  stupidly,  he  smiled  mdulgently, 
and  went  on  speaking. 

"  The  will  in  which  he  left  everything  to  you,  and 
which  was  duly  witnessed  at  my  office,  was  prepared 
only  a  few  days — a  few  hours  almost — before  his 
death.  It  was  prepared  under  curious  circumstances. 
He  seemed  to  have  an  idea  that  he  had  not  treated 
his  dead  nephew  very  well,  and  he  wanted  to  make 
amends  in  some  way.  He  told  me  that  was  the 
reason  that  he  wanted  to  leave  the  money  to  you,  a 
young  man,  with  his  way  to  make  in  the  world." 

I  own  I  felt  bitterly  ashamed.  I  seemed  to  see 
this  strange  old  man  doing  what  he  thought  was 
some  tardy  act  of  justice  at  the  very  end,  and  doing 
it  in  such  a  fashion  that  my  identity  should  not  be 
revealed.  True,  I  remembered  that  in  sheer  panic 
he  had  tried  to  destroy  me  afterwards,  but  he  had 
not  revoked  the  will. 

"  How  much  is  it  ?  "  I  contrived  to  ask. 

"  Considerably  over  eiehty  thousand  pounds," 
said  Mr.  Tipping  unctuously.  "  Mr.  Blowfield  hved 
very  simply,  as  you  are  aware,  and  was  extremely 
successful  in  his  investments  generaUy.  I  con- 
gratulate you,  Mr.  New,  with  all  my  heart ;  I 
regret  if  I  have  been  somewhat  abrupt,  and  so  have 
startled  you." 

"  It  is  a  little  staggering,  certainly,"  I  said  weakly. 

The  man  made  an  appointment  for  me  to  see  him 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS.    311 

at  his  office  on  the  following  day,  but  meanwhile  left 
a  substantial  sum  in  my  hands.  When  Andrew 
Ferkoe  came  back,  as  he  did  presently,  I  told  him 
the  great  news. 

"  Now,  look  here,  Andrew,"  I  said  solemnly,  "  I 
regard  this  money  as  belonging  almost  as  much  to 
you  as  it  does  to  me.  There's  not  the  slightest 
doubt  that  my  Uncle  Zabdiel  made  your  father 
poor,  and  you  know  well  enough  that  he  ground 
you  pretty  hard  afterwards.  You  toiled,  just  as  I 
toiled  before  you  ;  and  now  we've  got  our  great 
reward.  You  shall  join  forces  with  me  ;  we'll  start 
life  together,  in  a  better  fashion  than  any  we  have 
yet  enjoyed.  Come  down  with  me  to  see  the  lawyer 
to-morrow,  and  I'll  settle  a  certain  amount  on  you, 
and  tie  it  up  tight,  so  that  you  can  get  at  it  only 
in  instalments  ;  because  money's  a  dreadful  tempta- 
tion. After  that  we'U  decide  what  we  shall  do  with 
our  lives." 

"  I  wish  my  poor  father  had  been  alive  to  know 
you,"  said  the  boy  tearfully, 

I  slept  but  little  that  night ;  my  brain  was'awhirl 
with  many  thoughts.  Now,  more  than  ever,  there 
entered  into  me  the  temptation  to  remember  only 
that  I  was  a  rich  man,  and  by  that  right,  at  least,  I 
might  approach  Debora.  I  weighed  that  aspect  of 
the  case  carefully  through  the  long  liours  of  the 
night — almost  making  up  my  mind  at  times  that  I 
would  throw  everything  else  to  the  winds,  and  would 
go  to  the  girl  and  beg  her  now  to  start  life  with  me 
in  a  newer  and  a  better  fashion  than  any  she  or  I 
had  known.  But  with  the  cold  light  of  the  dawn 
hard  facts  asserted  themselves  ;  and  I  knew  that  the 
brand  of  my  prison  was  on  me,  and  could  not  well 
be  washed  out.  I  rose  from  my  bed,  determined 
that  for  the  future  love  or  thoughts  of  love  was  not 
for  me. 

In  due  course  we  called  upon  Mr.  James  Tipping, 


312  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

and  I  listened  with  what  patience  I  might  to  a 
lecture  from  that  gentleman  on  the  sin  of  mistaken 
generosity.  In  the  end,  of  course,  I  had  my  way, 
and  Andrew  Ferkoe  found  himself  with  an  income, 
and  with  Mr,  James  Tipping  as  his  legal  guardian. 
I  will  not  tell  you  the  amount,  lest  you  should 
regard  me  either  as  too  generous  or  not  generous 
enough  ;  suffice  it  that  Andrew  could  look  forward 
to  the  prospect  of  passing  his  days  in  comfort,  no 
matter  what  might  happen  to  me. 

A  few  days  of  splendid  idleness  supervened  on 
that,  and  I  saw  London  under  a  new  aspect,  and 
with  a  heart  almost  at  peace-^almost,  because  it  was 
utterly  impossible  for  me  to  shut  out  of  my  mind 
what  might  have  been  and  what  never  could  be. 
So  difficult  was  it,  indeed,  that  at  last  my  resolu- 
tion broke  down  ;  and  one  evening  I  drove  straight 
to  the  little  hotel  near  the  Charterhouse  where  I  had 
left  Debora,  I  rehearsed  speeches  as  I  went  along, 
telling  myself  that  she  should  understand  clearly 
what  the  position  was,  and  what  she  risked,  and  all 
the  rest  of  it ;  I  was  very  fuU  of  the  matter  by  the 
time  the  cab  stopped  outside  the  hotel. 

But  she  was  gone.  So  httle  had  I  expected  that, 
that  I  stared  in  blank  amazement  at  the  porter, 
and  asked  him  if  he  was  quite  sure.  Yes,  he  was 
quite  sure  ;  the  lady  had  left  two  days  before,  and 
had  not  stated  where  she  was  going. 

That  was  a  knock-down  blow,  and  one  from  which 
I  found  it  difficult  to  recover.  My  pride  was  hurt, 
inconsistently  enough ;  I  had  never  expected  that 
she  would  take  the  matter  like  that,  and  so  readily 
adopt  the  very  forcible  arguments  I  had  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  situation  in  my  letter  to  her.  I 
had  pictured  her  as  resentingj  the  idea  fiercely  ; 
I  had  pictured  her  broken  down,  and  longing  to  see 
me,  and  to  put  her  own  very  different  view  of  the 
matter  before  me.    This  calm  acceptance  of  my 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS.    313 

ideas  was  not  what  in  my  heart  I  had  really 
anticipated. 

Foolishly  enough,  I  went  back  again  and  again 
to  the  hotel ;  but  there  was  no  news  of  her.  I  did 
not  even  know  the  name  of  the  lawyer  to  whom  I 
had  recommended  her  to  go,  in  the  event  of  any- 
thing happening  to  me  or  to  the  doctor,  I  began 
to  see  with  bitterness  that  this  young  lady  regarded 
me  merely  as  an  episode — merely  as  a  highly  undesir- 
able escaped  convict,  who  had  forced  his  way  into 
her  life,  and  who  was  now  done  with. 

For  my  part,  I  had  done  with  London,  and  I -had 
done  with  England.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  go  abroad,  and  would  start  again  in  a  new 
country,  and  would  endeavour  to  make  something 
of  my  miserable  existence.  So  set  was  I  upon  the 
idea  that  in  a  matter  of  days  I  had  decided 
everything,  and  was  buying  my  outfit.  I  put  the 
matter  before  Andrew  Ferkoe ;  I  expected  that  he 
would  raise  objections  to  our  parting. 

He  seemed  a  little  upset,  but  said  nothing  that 
bore  greatly  on  the  question.  He  had  great  hopes, 
he  told  me,  of  being  a  doctor,  and  was  already 
making  arrangements  to  enter  himself  at  a  hospital, 
with  a  view  to  training.  I  applauded  the  idea,  for 
I  had  not  liked  to  think  that  the  lad  might  settle 
down  to  doing  nothing  save  the  spending  of  his 
income. 

Judge  of  my  surprise,  therefore,  when  on  the  very 
next  day  he  walked  into  my  sitting-room  in  the 
comfortable  hotel  in  which  we  had  taken  up  our 
quarters,  and  announced  quite  another  decision.  He 
announced  it  firmly,  too,  and  with  more  daring  than 
I  should  have  given  him  credit  for. 

"  I'm  coming  with  you,"  he  said. 

"  You're  making  a  great  mistake  if  you  think  of 
doing  that,"  I  assured  him.  "  Here  in  London  you 
can  settle  down,  and  become  a  great  and  clever 


314  DEAD  MAN'S  LOVE. 

man  ;  with  me  you'll  probably  lead  a  useless,  wander- 
ing sort  of  existence,  and  accomplish  nothing.  Be 
wise,  and  stay  where  you  are." 

"  I'm  coming  with  you,"  said  Andrew  obstinately. 
"  You've  been  awfully  good  to  me,  and  I  should  be 
a  beast  to  let  you  go  on  alone,  to  knock  about  the 
world.     I've  been  selfish  even  to  think  of  it." 

Nor  could  I  shake  his  determination.  I  had 
booked  my  passage,  and  I  now  had  to  take  another 
for  him.  He  was  nervous  of  going,  he  told  me,  and 
would  greatly  prefer  to  have  a  cabin  to  himself,  if 
that  could  be  secured.  As  there  were  not  many 
passengers  by  that  particular  boat,  I  was  able  to 
arrange  that  he  should  be  alone  in  a  small  cabin. 
I  settled  the  matter  then  and  there,  and  paid  his 
passage  money.  And  so  we  came  to  the  last  night 
we  were  to  spend  in  England. 

"  I  want  to  have  a  run  round  to-morrow,"  he  said, 
as  we  were  about  to  retire  to  our  rooms.  "  It'll  be 
the  last  time  I  shall  see  London,  I  expect,  and  I 
want  to  make  the  most  of  every  hour.  The  vessel 
doesn't  sail  until  quite  late,  and  I  shall  go  on  board 
and  turn  in  at  once.  I'm  dreadfully  afraid  I  shall 
be  ill,  and  I  don't  want  to  wake  up  until  I'm  miles 
away  from  the  shore  ;  then  perhaps  I  can  face  it 
better." 

Having  settled  that  point,  the  boy  prepared  to  go 
to  bed.  Wlien  he  got  to  the  door  of  the  room,  how- 
ever, he  turned  back,  and  slowly  retraced  his  steps 
to  where  I  stood.  He  seemed  bashful  and  nervous  ; 
he  did  not  look  into  my  eyes. 

"  There's  never  been  anyone  in  the  world  that's 
behaved  as  well  to  me  as  you  have,"  he  said.  "  I 
shall  never  be  able  to  thank  you  enough." 

"  Shut  up,  Andrew,  and  go  to  bed  !  "  I  broke  in. 

"  I  don't  intend  to  speak  about  it  again,  but  I 
must,  just  this  last  time.  God  bless  you,  Jack  " — 
I   had   taught  him   to  call  me   that — '*  and    may 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  LONG  CURLS.     315 

you  be  the  happiest  man  in  the  world,  wherever 
you  are." 

Before  I  could  prevent  him  he  had  caught  my  hand 
in  both  of  his,  and  had  kissed  it  passionately  ;  then, 
with  a  sound  suspiciously  like  a  sob,  he  turned  and 
bolted  from  the  room.  I  had  known  him  always  for 
an  odd,  strange  creature,  but  I  confess  I  was  moved 
more  strongly  then  than  perhaps  I  had  ever  been 
moved  before. 

Evidently  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  make  the 
most  of  the  day  ;  he  was  gone  from  the  hotel  when  I 
came  down  in  the  morning.  I  took  my  last  look  at 
London  on  my  own  account,  feeling  not  too  cheerful 
at  the  prospect  of  going  so  far  away.  Then,  towards 
the  hour  for  sailing,  I  started  for  the  ship.  My 
tuggage  had  gone  on,  and  I  had  nothing  to  do  but 
lo  put  myself  on  board, 

"  The  young  gentleman  came  on  board,  and 
turned  in  about  half  an  hour  ago,  sir,"  the  steward 
told  me.  "  Dreadful  afraid  of  being  seasick,  sir  ; 
said  he  wasn't  to  be  disturbed  on  any  account." 

"  Let  him  alone  by  all  means,"  I  said  laughing. 
I  felt  relieved  to  know  that  Andrew  had  got  safely 
out  of  his  adventures  of  the  day.  I  turned  in,  and 
slept  until  the  morning,  by  which  time  we  were  well 
out  to  sea. 

Andrew  did  not  put  in  an  appearance  all  that  day. 
He  sent  messages  to  me  by  the  steward,  to  say  that 
he  was  very  ill,  and  did  not  want  to  see  anyone  ;  a 
little  later,  that  he  was  getting  better.  It  was  quite 
late  in  the  evening  when  I  put  the  steward  aside  and 
insisted  on  seeing  the  boy,     I  was  anxious  about  him. 

The  cabin  was  not  particularly  well  lighted  as  I 
stumbled  into  it,  I  saw  the  boy  sitting  on  the  side 
of  his  bunk,  with  his  face  partly  turned  from  me. 
Curiously  enough,  he  was  wearing  his  hat,  a  soft  felt 
I  had  noticed  him  with  the  day'before  we  left  London. 

"  Well,  Andrew,"  I  said  cheerily,  "  I'm  sorry  to 


3t6  DEAI\,  MAN'S   LOVE. 

see  you  like  this.  Much  better  for  you  to  put  a  good 
face  on  it,  and  come  on  deck." 

"  Won't  this  face  do  ?  " 

I  started,  and  stared  at  the  figure  of  the  boy. 
In  a  moment  the  boy  rose  to  his  feet  and  tossed 
aside  the  felt  hat ;  a  great  mass  of  curls  came 
tumbling  down  on  to  his  shoulders.  I  uttered  a 
cry  of  amazement. 

Tt  was  Debora  ! 

"  Andrew  knew  all  about  it  all  the  time,"  she 
whispered  to  me,  when  presently  we  were  coherent, 
and  when  she  had  blushingly  apologised  for  her  boy's 
dress.  "  He  came  to  me  after  he  had  posted  the 
letter  you  sent  me  ;  then,  when  I  knew  that  you 
were  going  to  sail,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  come  with 
you.  You  foolish  fellow  !  you  would  only  have  run 
away  from  me  again  if  I  had  tried  to  meet  you  in 
any  other  way  ;  and  I  wanted  to  follow  you  all  over 
the  world." 

"  All  my  world  is  here ! "  I  whispered,  as  I 
kissed  her. 


'the  end. 


Ward,  Lock  &  Co..  Limited,  London. 


"^ 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGONAi.  UBRARY  FAOUTY 

iiiimiiiiii 

A    000  126  870    5 


Mlllill|l|! 


Ilil  I  I  I 


imm 


